


Till this moment I never knew myself

by Linisen



Series: YOI Regency week 2020 [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Age Reversal, Aged up Yuuri Katsuki, Alpha Yuuri Katsuki, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Marriage of Convenience, Mating Cycles, Misunderstandings, Mpreg, Omega Verse, Omega Victor Nikiforov, Possessive Yuuri Katsuki, Protective Yuuri Katsuki, Regency, Rut, courting, dance/ball, heat - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:15:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24005707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linisen/pseuds/Linisen
Summary: “Sir,” his driver Nishigori called, and Yuuri opened his eyes as he felt the carriage slow. He looked out, but did not see the familiar site of his manor. Intead, there was the soft light of a summer night, forest and fields surrounding them. “There’s a person on the road.”“What?” Yuuri asked in disbelief, trying to look outside through the window behind the man driving the horses. The carriage stopped. The hour was late, and it was only that they were in the middle of summer that made it possible to travel, the sky still slightly lit. “In the middle of the night?”“Yes sir,” Nishigori answered, sounding perplexed. “I think they are injured sir. It looks to be an omega.”“An omega,” Yuuri exclaimed, and without further thought pushed out of the carriage. His feet landed on the gravel road and then he rushed forward. Yuuri’s breath caught as he recognized the silver of his hair, the slender form of his body. His suspicion proved to be correct as he knelt down, turning the omega’s bundled up form to the side. His hair was in a disarray, his gown dirty and he smelled deeply of distress. Yuuri could not see any injuries on him, but it was clear he had gone into omega shock.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: YOI Regency week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730575
Comments: 266
Kudos: 691
Collections: YOI REGENCY WEEK, Yuri on Ice





	1. Tea

**Author's Note:**

> Written for YOI Regency Week. Will post daily from Monday till Sunday 
> 
> Beta read by [IA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncandescentAntelope/pseuds/IncandescentAntelope) <3.  
> Alternatively titled “Hey Yuuri you are an idiot has anyone ever told you that?”

Yuuri was leaning heavily back against the seat of the carriage, letting his eyes slide closed. It had been a pleasant affair, the dinner at the Chulanont manor. Several of his old friends from university had been in attendance, and it had been a jolly time, as it often was with gatherings held by Phichit. The alpha always threw lavish parties and soirees, dinners filled with card games and music. This one was no exception, and Yuuri had enjoyed the getaway from his own estate, a chance to bring him out of his solitude. He sighed. Most of the alphas in attendance were mated now, which was not odd in the slightest. They had all been presented and on the Marriage Mart for over a decade, and many had found someone to settle with in that time. Phichit had not, even though Yuuri knew he still held the fate to soon settle down that Yuuri was now lacking. He was over two and thirty, and still no omega had fully grabbed his attention enough for marriage. Sure, there were a few that had captivated him, and one quiet recently, but Yuuri was growing old. What could he have to offer one of twenty? 

Yuuri tried not to think of him. He was sure that the lovely omega would be snatched up before the season was over. Yuuri had seen the appreciative glances from the other, younger alphas, gazes following the pretty omega as he passed them. Yuuri would have loved to indulge in the urge to get to know the omega better himself, but he felt he should not take up too much of his time. He was well aware how his status as an earl meant he got benefits he would not have had otherwise, and truly - the beautiful lively thing deserved much more than an alpha almost out of his prime, hidden away at an estate in the country. He could only hope it would be a happy match, and that the omega would find someone tentative and caring, unlike… Yuuri pushed the thoughts away. It was not his place to think ill thoughts of other gentlemen, even if he knew them to be scum. 

“Sir,” his driver Nishigori called, and Yuuri opened his eyes as he felt the carriage slow. He looked out, but did not see the familiar site of his manor. Intead, there was the soft light of a summer night, forest and fields surrounding them. “There’s a person on the road.”

“What?” Yuuri asked in disbelief, trying to look outside through the window behind the man driving the horses. The carriage stopped. The hour was late, and it was only that they were in the middle of summer that made it possible to travel, the sky still slightly lit. “In the middle of the night?”

“Yes sir,” Nishigori answered, sounding perplexed. “I think they are injured sir. It looks to be an omega.”

“An omega,” Yuuri exclaimed, and without further thought pushed out of the carriage. His feet landed on the gravel road and then he rushed forward. Nishigori had been right. There was an omega on the road, dressed in fine silk and laying in a heap on the gravel. Yuuri’s breath caught as he recognized the silver of his hair, the slender form of his body. His suspicion proved to be correct as he knelt down, turning the omega’s bundled up form to the side. His hair was in a disarray, his gown dirty and he smelled deeply of distress. Yuuri could not see any injuries on him, but it was clear he had gone into omega shock. 

“Mr. Nikiforov,” Yuuri called softly, shaking the omega carefully. No answer came. Nishigori had come up next to him, and Yuuri shook the young omega again. “Mr. Nikiforov can you hear me?”

“Shock, sir?” Nishigori asked, and Yuuri nodded in agreement. They did not have much of a choice, they had to take him with them, no matter the impropriety of it. Yuuri carefully arranged the omega in his arms, hugging him to his chest as he stood. Mr. Nikiforov whined, a deep heartbreaking sound, and Yuuri let out as much of his calming pheromones as he could to soothe him. He could only imagine what horrors the poor thing had suffered through to be in such a state. Yuuri took him with him into the carriage, and as they started moving again he felt the omega relax slightly in his arms, shivering slowly becoming less violent. He pressed close to Yuuri, and since there was no one there, Yuuri let him nose his way up to his unmarked scent gland and tucked his face into the crook of his neck. If it made the omega feel better, what harm could come from it? 

He was so beautiful. Yuuri had always thought to, ever since he was presented just this season. His long silver hair, his bright blue eyes, his mind so full of life and light. To think Yuuri had just been thinking of him, and here they found him lying on the road in shock. Yuuri had to clench his jaw and control his emotions. It would not do to get angry now. Mr. Nikiforov’s health was of priority, and Yuuri needed to keep his scent calm because of it. Instead he thought of the few times they had met before, of how wonderfully Victor had moved in his arms as they danced, how his smile had been bright and heart shaped, how he had talked excitedly about his dog. 

Nishigori took them home quickly, and Yuuri sent him away for the doctor immediately, but to pass the back entrance to ask the servants to send another carriage out to fetch Mr. Nikiforov’s guardian Mr. Feltsman, as well as send up a maid. Yuuri could only hope someone was up so things would move swiftly. 

He carried Victor inside, and it did not take long until the head housemaid met him with wide eyes and cheeks stained from the strain from running. Yuuri guessed Yuuko had been waiting for her mate down in the kitchen, which was how she found him so soon. 

“How is he, my lord?” she asked as they moved up the stairs, eyes flicking between the omega in Yuuri’s arms and Yuuri’s face. “Do we believe it was simply shock? He looks terribly pale sir.” 

“I hope for everything in the world it is only shock, Yuuko,” Yuuri said as they reached the head of the stairs, shivering at the thought of it being anything else. “Which guestroom do we have prepared?”

“The blue one should be in order, my lord,” she said and Yuuri turned to the left, moving them towards the east wing. 

“Perfect,” he agreed, steps slightly slower now. “Did you manage to send someone for Mr. Feltsman?”

“Minami was awake too, sir. He was waiting for you to get home to help you be ready for bed, so we sent him to the Bin residence as you asked,” Yuuko said, picking up her pace to reach the room first, holding the door for them to step inside. The room was cold, no fire lit, and Yuuko hurried to move the covers of the bed to the side so the omega could be placed underneath. “We thought you would not mind.” 

“Not in the slightest,” Yuuri agreed, carefully putting Mr. Nikiforov underneath the quilts and covers, draping them over him carefully. The omega whined, and Yuuri let out another gush of calming pheromones, hoping to soothe him. He wished him to be in no distress, at least until the doctor could come and help him. He heard Yuuko start the fire, and the room started to fill with pleasant warmth. Mr. Nikiforov relaxed slightly, and Yuuri let out a breath of relief. Yuuri turned and smiled at Yuuko gratefully, meeting her worried gaze. 

“We shall have to get rooms ready. I am not sure Mr. Feltsman will arrive before the night is over, but I expect the doctor to be. It might be better to have two rooms ready either way,” Yuuri said, and Yuuko nodded in understanding. 

“I shall go up and wake William up, so he can meet them. I think Satsuki and I can manage to get the rooms ready, my lord,” she agreed. 

“Would you let Anna and Satsuki do it?” he asked. “I do not think it would be proper for me to be alone with him after what he might have endeavoured. It would give me comfort, and hopefully him as well, to have an omega in the room.” 

Yuuko smiled that soft motherly smile and nodded, placing two more logs into the fire before she hurried away. Yuuri pulled an armchair up to the bed so he could be close, so the omega would not miss his scent that he seemed to find calming. Mr. Nikiforov’s face was relaxed now, even if his hair was still tangled. Yuuri wished to card his fingers through it to help, but that would be strictly overstepping his bounds. Perhaps Yuuko could, when she returned. How lovely he was, even in a mess of disarray. Yuuri wanted to bring down wrath on whoever hurt him, make sure they paid for wounding such a lovely person.

The fire cracked and Yuuri sat watching, hoping what he had done so far was enough.

* * *

  
  


The doctor arrived after just two hours, and Yuuri thanked her as well as Nishigori for the hasty retrieval. Dr. Oda had been the Katsuki family’s physician for as long as Yuuri could remember. She was a calm alpha, with great skill in her work, and had tended to Yuuri’s parents skillfully before they passed. She listened to Yuuri’s story with rapt attention, and after quickly looking over Mr. Nikiforov deemed it to be shock that had caused him to drop, not uncommon for omegas put through great distress. She claimed Mr. Nikiforov was out of harm's way for now, and Yuuko showed her to a guest room so that she could rest, and do another exam of the omega come morning when he was awake. Yuuri thanked her again, and just as Yuuko returned after showing the doctor to her accommodations, the rumbling voice of someone much less tactful shook the house. Yuuri sighed as a shill rushed up his spine. “Stay with him, will you?” he asked Yuuko, and then hurried down the stairs to meet Mr. Feltsman. 

The alpha was clearly angered, and Yuuri could see as well as smell his rage as he descended the stairs. Yuuri took a deep breath to ground himself. His parents had raised him to be an alpha in control of his emotions and pheromones. He needed to use that now as much as he had when taking care of Mr. Nikiforov earlier. 

The conversation was swift. Mr. Feltsman became angrier and then calmed as Yuuri told his story. He followed Yuuri up to the room where his charge was resting, and that seemed to make him feel better as well. Yuuko had brushed his hair and cleaned his face, and even if he was still wearing the gown, it looked like he was merely sleeping. Mr. Feltsman seemed to know more of the story, but wanted to discuss it with Mr. Nikiforov before explaining to Yuuri. Yuuri would have protested, but the clock was almost five in the morning, and Yuuri felt dead on his feet. They agreed to discuss further in the morning, and after making sure Yuuko told both Nishigori and Minami, as well as the maids who had come up in the middle of the night to work that they could sleep in, he tumbled into the bed and fell into a restless sleep. 

* * *

Yuuri did not spend many hours in bed, too restless from the night's endeavours. It seemed Mr. Feltsman felt much the same, for Yuuri was just half way through his breakfast, Dr. Oda having joined him almost as soon as he came down, when the older alpha stepped in too. 

“Good morning,” Mr. Feltman greeted, and both Yuuri and Dr. Oda echoed it, keeping conversation light until the alpha sat down to join them, a plate of food in front of him. “I have just come from Victor’s.”

“How is he?” Yuuri asked, feeling he might have been too urgent in his tone. He glanced down at his breakfast, trying to calm himself, hoping the other alphas did not notice. It was as if he were a green boy, not an earl and head of his own estate. He turned to the footman at the corner of the room. “John, will you send one of the maids up with breakfast to our guest?”

“Certainly sir,” the footman said, and walked out to find one. It gave the three alphas the opportunity to speak while being fully in private, as well as giving the omega something to eat. Yuuri hoped he was well enough to stomach it.

“Good thinking,” Dr. Oda said, with a smile, bringing her teacup up to take a sip. “Shock wears on them terribly.”

“Yes, he was quite fatigued. I am sure some food will do him good,” Mr. Feltsman said, and Yuuri bit the inside of his cheek so to hold back from asking again how the omega was. He had dreamt of Victor that night, like a shadow out of his reach, always close, never close enough for Yuuri to reach him. “I managed to sort some of last night's events out, although they are not pleasant. I do not wish to trouble you with such foul recollections at breakfast.”

Yuuri’s stomach turned to knots. He did not care what hour of the day it was. He cared for Mr. Nikiforov’s safety. “No matter what time it is, I beg you to tell us,” Yuuri said with a voice certain and unwavering. He caught Dr. Oda nodding in agreement, and pushed on. “Please, Mr. Feltsman.”

Mr. Feltsmand sighed, and rubbed his eyes as he put down his utensils. “I will since you ask, and since you both have shown much kindness towards my charge, I shall honour your request. I will have to tell you though, it is quite troublesome, and it may change your views on someone in our close society.”

“I am sure both mine and the doctor’s fantasies are running away from us,” Yuuri pointed out, for his certainly was, imagining all foul things the omega could have encountered. “The truth would be preferable.”

“Of course,” Mr. Feltsman said, and then he began to speak, the story puzzled between his own recollections of the evening, the dance at the Bin residence, of Victor’s memories, and of Yuuri’s story as he had come upon the omega. They had arrived together, Mr. Feltsman and Victor, and the event had been a pleasant one. Victor, whom it was clear Mr. Feltsman felt a lot of responsibility towards, had danced and seemed merry. The alpha pointed out the omega’s sometimes lack in reading social cues, and that Victor sometimes took attention to heart when he should not, not being brought up in society such as theirs. Yuuri wanted to ask for what he meant by that but did not dare, and Mr. Fetlsman continued his story. 

Next came Victor’s memories of a dance with the Bin family’s oldest son - Mr. Cao Bin. After the dance their conversation had drifted to poetry, and the alpha had said to want to lend Victor a book. As soon as they were alone he had tried to grab him. Yuuri saw how difficult it was for the alpha to recollect this, to tell of the horrors Victor had endured. Yuuri was not surprised. He had heard many rumors about Mr. Cao Bin, and from his own experience with the alpha he was sure he was a scoundrel. He never thought he would stoop so low as to try to force himself on an omega. 

Mr. Feltman retold the story of Victor hissing, paralyzing the alpha long enough to incapacitate him. He had then run into the night, apparently until he collapsed, and found by Yuuri and his carriage. Mr. Cao Bin had come out furious, a black eye blooming in his skin, spitting rumour about Mr. Nikiforov to the guests. Yuuri felt dread sink into his bones. At a gathering such as that, the gossip would have traveled far even before the night was over, even further by morning. There would be no stopping it now. Yuuri saw on Mr. Feltsman that too he knew this, even if none of them acknowledged it with words. 

“I am mortified,” Yuuri said. “I am- I do not know what to say.” 

“I hope you believe me,” Mr Feltsman said, and Yuuri hurried to nod. “I would not be telling you this if I were not sure of it being true.”

“I do believe you. Mr. Cao Bin has always been a snake,” Yuuri said, anger rushing through his entire body. “I never thought I would see him stoop so low as to wound an omega-.”

“He had claimed that since Victor was of lower breed he should be grateful,” Mr. Feltsman said, and Yuuri felt nausea rise in his throat. “Victor’s mother, my sister, she married an alpha who was below our status, and not only was the alpha a drunk and a gambler, but they had far too many children for her to take care of. It became too much. She wrote to me and asked for my assistance, and even as I try to send her the help I can for her other three children, I offered to take care of Victor, give him a proper coming out in society.”

“That makes Mr. Cao Bin’s behaviour even more horrendous,” Yuuri said while grinding his teeth. “Please know that I am on your side Mr. Feltsman. On Mr. Nikiforov’s side. I will do all I can in my power to help.”

“Thank you Lord Katsuki,” Mr. Feltsman said, and Yuuri nodded. “You have done far more than many would.”

“I have done only what was decent,” Yuuri said with a sigh. “Please stay as long as you need, and let me know if you need anything.

After that they parted, and Dr. Oda walked up to Victor’s chambers to examine him once more, and look into his well-being. Yuuri sat to answer correspondence, but could only trust himself to write to those closest to him to retell the events of the evening. He sent one to Phichit and another to his sister. He could not bring himself to concentrate on anything else afterwards, walking restlessly back and forth between the library and the sitting room. He came to open the balcony door to look at the clouds, trying to find answers from them drifting across the sky. What could he do for the omega, who had met such an unjust fate? Yuuri could hardly stop the rumor mill when it had started, and even with Phichit on his side he could not make sure Victor’s reputation would be scrubbed clean. If Mr. Nikiforov’s heritage was of less than noble birth, it would be even harder to get him mated, possibly with a low dowry and not many connections beyond the Feltsman family. What a horrible fate for someone so young, so full of life, so innocent in the matter framing him. Yuuri sighed and closed his eyes, face still tipped up towards the sky. What could he do? What could-

The idea came to him as if he had been hit by lightning, so clear, so obvious. Still, it was not a light decision, and one he could not make on his own. It was perhaps the easiest, the most simple and quick. He was not sure how he fully felt about it himself, but he would do whatever he could for the omega, to help him out of the situation he had ended up in. With sure steps he walked inside, and asked a footman to call Mr. Nikiforov and Mr. Feltsman down for tea. Dr. Oda had left an hour ago, declaring Mr. Nikiforov well but still shaken up. Yuuri hoped he would be well enough to have a conversation. 

A tea tray was brought into the smaller sitting room, and as soon as it came Yuuri excused the personnel. He wanted to have this conversation in private. Mr. Feltsman stepped inside first, but was soon followed by Mr. Nikiforov. Yuuri’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of him. The omega was as beautiful as always, if only a little paler then what Yuuri recollected from other occasions they had met, not counting last night. One of the maids had brought down a collection of Mari’s old dresses from the attic, and even if it did not fit Mr. Nikiforov perfectly, it was better than a gown, Yuuri gathered. The omega’s hair had been twisted up in a loose hairdo, his blue eyes coming to meet Yuuri’s as soon as he walked in. Yuuri’s heart raced but he swallowed harshly. He needed to calm down. He was acting like a green boy again, something the omega seemed to have a knack for bringing out. 

“Mr. Nikiforov,” he greeted, bowing properly as he took the omega’s hand. “How glad I am to see you up again. How are you feeling?” 

“Lord Katsuki,” the omega said, and when Yuuri looked up their eyes met once more. The omega was looking at him with his wide eyed gaze, cheeks slightly pink. “I hear I am in the deepest of debt to you from what you have done for me. Thank you. I cannot find words for your kindness.”

“It was nothing, truly,” Yuuri said, squeezing the omega’s hand one tme before he let it go. “It was only decent.”

“I am grateful regardless,” Mr. Nikiforov said, gaze earnestly. “Thank you.” 

Yuuri nodded again, and then motioned for them to sit down. He poured the tea for them himself, the conversation being kept alive by Yuuri asking how Mr. Nikiforov was feeling and the omega answering calmly and politely. Only when they were all seated with a cup did the silence fall upon them, the guests clearly waiting for Yuuri to disclose what he had called them for. 

“Mr. Nikiforov,” Yuuri said, turning fully to the omega. “As I have said, I am so dreadfully sorry for what you have had to endure, and please know that I believe you innocent in this entire matter.”

“That is a relief,” Mr. Nikiforov said with a deep breath. “I fear you may be the only one.”

Yuuri’s heart ached. He wanted to be able to give him more than what he was about to offer, but it was the best that he had. “Yes, I fear many rumors have surely spread since last night. Mr. Cao Bin does not deserve even the gravel under your shoe after how he treated you, and I would hate to see his poor judgement and ill nature to hurt your future completely.”

“I fear I do not have much to do to prevent it,” Mr. Nikiforov said, voice low and slow, as if admitting it to himself for the first time. Yuuri swallowed. 

“I have a suggestion,” he said, and the omega looked up and met his gaze again, the dazzling blue keeping Yuuri captive. “It is far from perfect, and I understand if it is not something you would want, I will not be insulted if you decline, but…I would like to offer my hand in marriage.”

Mr. Nikiforov’s eyes went wide, but did not leave Yuuri’s as he started. He heard Mr. Feltsman gasp beside him, but Yuuri could not look away from the omega now. “I understand if it is not what you wanted, and that you have had much more interesting prospects then an alpha of my age-”

“Yes,” Mr. Nikiforov said, cutting Yuuri off. “If that is your only objection, that you find yourself too old for me then yes. I do not see it that way.” 

“Oh,” Yuuri answered, not sure what the omega meant by that and too afraid to ask. “I am glad then.”

“I would just like to know,” Mr. Nikiforov rushed out, sounding vulnerable and unsure. His eyes darted over Yuuri’s features, as if in search of something. “Why? You have done far more than most already. Why do me this favour?”

Yuuri felt his own cheeks flush. He was not sure he could explain this in a manner that was clear to anyone but himself. To him, the reasons were obvious, yet hard to put into words. “I would hate to see you robbed of your reputation,” Yuuri started. “I do not know you well, but the limited time we have spent together has been pleasant. I have been lonely for a long time. Perhaps we could be good companions, and work on the rest in due time.”

“Oh,” Mr. Nikiforov said, blinking with his wide blue eyes. He seemed to have trouble finding his words, so Yuuri cleared his throat and continued.

“I will never force you to anything. I want to be perfectly clear on that. You will have your own room, bring what you want to make this your home. All I wish is for us to spend time together, during dinners and for tea, and perhaps take rides or walks if that is something you enjoy.” 

“This is far too much,” Mr. Feltsman said, and Yuuri looked away from Mr. Nikiforov, realising he had all but forgotten the alpha was there in the first place. “I am grateful for this Lord Katuski, but are you sure? Victor has no dowry to speak of for someone of your status and-”

“I have enough for the both of us,” Yuuri cut him off, looking back at Mr. Nikiforov. “It is your decision, Mr. Nikiforov. I am at your disposal.”

“I have already agreed and I do not plan on taking it back,” the omega said with certainty, his voice stronger now, gaze more sure. It was a fiery look that made butterflies fill Yuuri’s stomach. This was dangerous territory. There was a great big chance he was going to fall in love with Mr. Nikiforov, and would probably never see it returned. It did not matter now. Instead Yuuri nodded, turning to his side to bring forth a jewelry box. He held it carefully between his hands, turning it just right to face the omega. Mr. Nikiforov’s eyes grew wide, and Yuuri opened the box. 

“Victor Nikiforov, will you do me the honour of accepting this engagement collar, and the proposal of becoming my husband?” Yuuri asked, with a much steadier voice then he had thought he would manage. Mr. Nikiforov reached out carefully, fingers caressing over the blue and silver gems. 

“It is breathtaking,” Mr. Nikiforov said. “I will.” 

Yuuri let out a breath, and then he pulled the collar that had been his grandmother’s from the box. He stood and walked behind the omega, placing the collar around his neck, letting it come to rest around it. It looked beautiful on him, and Yuuri shivered, something possessive and new curling in his gut. 

“Thank you,” Mr. Nikiforov said, bringing a trembling hand up to the jewelry. “I do not know what to say.”

“I was thinking that perhaps we could have a courting period during the engagement?” Yuuri suggested. “So we can get to know each other better.”

“I would enjoy that very much,” Mr. Nikiforov agreed, eyes still dazed. The conversation drifted to plans then, of the engagement declaration and the marriage. Mr. Feltsman joined in, and they all agreed that they both of them would stay at the Katuski estate until the pair was wedded, and Yuuri promised to make arrangements to retrieve their things for a longer stay. As conversation flowed, Yuuri noticed Mr. Nikiforov scrunched up his nose each time he took a sip of tea, and after half the cup was empty he could not help but ask:

“Is the tea bad? Do you want a new cup?”

The omega shook his head, placing the cup on the tray as his cheeks pinked. “No sorry I…” he trailed off, looking away from Yuuri. 

“He enjoys jam in his tea,” Mr. Feltsman filled in, and Victor looked back at Yuuri while biting his lip, embarrassment evident in his scent. Yuuri turned to address the alpha.

“Jam?” Yuuri asked. “I have never heard of it.” He turned to Victor again and the omega suffled in his seat. He looked up at Yuuri again, and for a moment they simply held eye contact. 

“My mother always took it this way,” Victor said, eyes dropping to the cup again, fiddling with it. “I know it sounds foolish.” 

Yuuri knew of the small comfort of a mother's love, of the safety in routines. If something so small would give Victor pleasure, Yuuri would easily provide. “Then it shall always be on our tray,” Yuuri said immediately. Mr. Nikiforov looked up at him again, cheeks flushed and mouth falling open. “I wish you to feel at home here. If there is anything I can do to make you feel safe and at home, big or small, please name it. Would you want jam with your tea?”

“I would,” Mr. Nikforov said breathlessly, looking as if no one had ever extended him a kindness in such a manner before. Yuuri smiled, reaching for the ribbon to call the servant. 

“Then it shall be yours.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow: Yuuri and Victor try to get to know each other better, and Victor makes a discovery.  
> Want to read the whole story now? Check out this [twitter post](https://twitter.com/mjaoue/status/1217362304045649920?s=20)
> 
> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


	2. Courting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For day 2 of YOI regency week - Courting
> 
> Lets see how these boys are doing after deciding to get married, shall we? This time form Victor's POV!

Lord Katsuki’s smile was warm as he extended his hand to Victor, which the omega easily took, stepping into the carriage. Lord Katsuki’s eyes, the most beautiful brown he had ever seen, were always such a safe haven, calm and collected, attentive. The alpha’s gaze had always been, ever since the first time Victor and him crossed paths, ever since their eyes first met. Lord Katsuki had something most alphas lacked, at least according to Victor. He was dignified in a way that was becoming for his position. Other alphas could be a good time, to dance with and to have fleeting conversations, to joke with during card games and during tea, but they were mere children. Lord Katsuki was a man. 

Victor had often hoped, even if he knew it was unlikely, that the alpha would take an interest in him. He had heard of Lord Katsuki long before he met him of course, and he knew that an omega of his status hardly stood a chance, especially with an alpha so elusive, having shown no deeper interest towards any omega before. It had rendered Victor overly curious, and when he got the opportunity to attend the same ball as the earl he had been astonished to find him both handsome and sweet. He did not go out of his way to charm, he did not flirt. There was a calmness to him that Victor had not realised he had been missing in the younger alphas that was otherwise giving him attention. Lord Katsuki was a perfect gentleman, and never before had Victor been swept off his feet in dance as he had been that night. He had gone home to the Feltsman resident that evening and hoped to get to know the alpha more, to spend more time together. It seemed he had gotten his wish, only not at all how he had hoped. Still, he had a chance now. Lord Katsuki may not have asked him to be his mate from the devotion deep within his heart, but from the kindness in it. Perhaps in time the alpha’s affections would grow into something deeper. Perhaps in time he could feel what was starting to take form in Victor’s chest. He would not call it love, but it was affection and attraction. He hoped they could find it within their relationship to be mates, and not just live their lives next to each other instead of with, not to be ghosts in each other’s lives. 

Victor settled into the open carriage across from the alpha, adjusting his dress. It had been a courting gift, a beautiful one at that. Victor had never owned such an exquisite piece in his life. Before coming to live with his uncle, his dresses had been practical for the most part, he had only owned one evening dress, and it had been his mother’s old one. Since coming to live with his uncle Yakov and aunt Lilia four years ago, just a year after presentation, his wardrobe had changed. Gone were most of the day dresses fit for work. Instead there were dance dresses, and dresses fit for strolls in the park, and for dinners. None of them compared to this one however. The material felt soft, and the stitching was perfect. It fit Victor as if it had been made for him, and for all he knew it might have been. It was only one of the many gifts that had been delivered to him by the alpha, Lord Katsuki smiling softly with a faint blush over his cheekbones as he presented all of them. Victor was surprised by the shyness of it all as the alpha presented them. Did he expect Victor to reject them? The flowers and jewelry and handkerchiefs were more beautiful than any he had ever laid eyes on. Preposterous. 

“Would you say you enjoy this type of weather, Mr. Nikiforov?” Lord Katsuki asked, and Victor was brought out of his musings to look at the alpha. The carriage moved slowly, and soon they would reach the town closest to the main estate connected to Yuuri’s title, so that the residents could see them together, and gossip of their upcoming marriage. The bans had been read just a week prior, and they were set to wed in a month. In that time, it was crucial to be seen together, to act out the engagement fully. There would be more chaperoned strolls in the parks, more carriage rides, and dinners and a ball. Lord Katsuki had already started planning for it. A ball in Victor’s honor. It felt hard to grasp fully. 

“I do,” Victor answered the question as he glanced up at the cloud free sky, wishing to find a topic more interesting to speak of than the weather. He longed to know Lord Katsuki, but it was difficult, with his uncle chaperoning them, as well as Victor’s deep dread of him embarrassing himself. Lord Katsuki had been so terribly kind, in so many ways. Victor was terrified of letting him down. “I tend to enjoy the rain more. It makes me calmer.”

Another soft smile curled on the alpha’s lips. “I do too. It always makes me feel more centered. I enjoy the summer fog too, as it rolls over the fields around the manor.” 

“Oh, yes that sounds lovely,” Victor agreed. “I will enjoy seeing it.”

“One has to be up early to spot it,” Lord Katuski continued. “I have managed to catch it a few times each summer, waking up early enough to ride out to it. Do you enjoy riding?”

Victor flushed with embarrassment. “I do not,” he admitted, casting his eyes down. “I have never learned.” 

“Oh,” Lord Katsuki said with surprise, and Victor did not dare to look up, did not want to see whatever emotion his face displayed. 

“Have you been to that tavern?” Victor asked to change the subject as they drove by a small place in a corner, looking small and well kept. It reminded Victor of the inn around the corner from the neighborhood he grew up in, and the innkeeper who gave him left over pastries at the end of the night when he was young. 

“I have,” Lord Katsuki agreed. “It is kept by a good family, and they make good food as well as show great hospitality.”

“That is good to hear,” Victor agreed. “This is a lovely town, just as the village on the other side of the estate lines to the east. I must say I enjoy the town more though.”

“What do you enjoy more about the town over the village?” Lord Katsuki asked, and Victor dared to look back at him, the alpha leaning forward slightly, gaze locked on Victor. He glanced at his uncle next to them in the carriage, but the old alpha said nothing, so Victor spoke on. 

“It reminds me of where I grew up, with my mothers and siblings,” he admitted. “Many of the shops and businesses are similar. I guess it goes for many smaller towns, that the case of similarities might occur. It makes me nostalgic, I suppose.”

“Do you miss it?” Lord Katsuki asked, and Victor’s heart raced up into his throat as he glanced over at his uncle again, before looking down at the carriage floor. He did miss it. He had cried himself to sleep many nights, missing his family and his surroundings, but he did not want to seem ungrateful. 

“I have been very lucky to come to live with my uncle and his wife,” he said instead, taking a deep breath. A soft gush of wind carried the scent of the lord alpha’s scent over him, and he took a deep breath of it. It still made him feel incredibly calm, even if Lord Katsuki were not letting out any pheromones now. He remembered bits and pieces of that night after he had run away, and all of them contained Lord Katsuki. “I am sorry for speaking out of place.”

He looked up, and Lord Katsuki’s eyes looked pained. He opened his mouth to say something more, but was interrupted by Yakov changing the subject once more. The conversation kept light after that, and Victor retried back against the backrest, wondering how he was to continue living his life in silence. 

* * *

  
  


“And cards?” Lord Katsuki asked as they strolled in the gardens of the estate. They were vast and beautiful, well kept and flourishing. They had walked here every day, and each day conversations grew a little less stilted, Victor daring to open up more. The alpha had yet to run from him as he did, and it gave him courage to continue on. 

“I cannot say I enjoy it much,” Victor revealed. “I do know how to play, I have never seen the appeal of it.”

“It is not one of my favourite pastimes either,” Lord Katsuki agreed. “An alpha such as myself is to gamble some, but I find books and the company of close friends to be more settling than a rowdy card game.”

“I admire that,” Victor said, and got the lovely view of seeing Lord Katsuki blush. He was far too handsome for his own good. He did not seem to know it either. “One should do what makes one happy, not what others might find right for them to do.”

“That is a good way to view the world,” Lord Katsuki said, his scent so incredibly lovely. “What do you enjoy, Mr Nikiforov?”

“Dancing, at a party or not,” he admitted, the alpha complimenting his dancing as they continued walking. Victor smiled. “I enjoy drawing, and music - but I cannot play, and I enjoy walks, even if I miss Makkachin.”

“Makkachin?” the alpha asked, understanding dawning in his eyes before Victor could explain. “Your dog.”

“Yes, I must admit I miss her terribly,” Victor said, his heart aching. Lord Katuski looked at him puzzled, and then smiled softly as if having realised something. 

“Then we shall send for her at once.”

* * *

  
  


The gifts continued coming, but the best of them were the retrieval of his dog. Makka bounded out of the carriage and into the hallway of the manor as soon as the door was opened. Victor accepted her with open arms, unable to hold back his laughter as she greeted him after so long. He had missed her terribly, and he felt something settle in his chest as he looked over to see Lord Katsuki smile widely at the sight of them. The alpha came closer, and then he knelt down next to Victor on the carpet. 

“May I greet her?” he asked, and Victor felt warmth bloom in his chest. He nodded, and then turned back to Makka as he scratched her behind her ear. 

“This is Makkachin, I call her Makka. She has been with me since a year after I came to my uncle. She is the most lovely girl,” Victor said, glancing over at Lord Katuki, wondering if perhaps he had said too much. Lord Katsuki simply smiled, and reached a hand out for Makka to sniff. 

“It is nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Makkachin,” Lord Katsuki greeted, and Victor could not help but giggle at his antics, this being a new side of him, goofy in a way Victor had not seen before. “I have heard a great many things about you from your Papa. I am Yuuri. I hope you shall like it here.”

Victor’s heart swelled at the words, and he swallowed thickly as he continued to card his fingers through her soft fur. Makka seemed to deem Lord Katsuki worthy, for she licked his hand, and then stepped closer to nose over his face and demanded pets. Lord Katsuki did not seem to mind, cooing over her in the same way as Victor always did. Their eyes met again, and Victor could feel himself smiling more earnestly, finding Lord Katsuki’s equally open expression meet his in return. 

“Thank you Lord Katsuki,” Victor said softly. “I am so glad to have her here.” The alpha ran his fingers through Makkachin’s fur once more, looking at the dog rather than at Victor. 

“I told you, I wish for you to be happy here,” the alpha started. “I feel as though if your dog is allowed to be introduced to me by my given name, you should be allowed to call me it as well,” he said, turning his eyes towards Victor’s once more. Victor gasped. Given names where something one shared with close friends and family, and a mate. Oh, yes, of course. He felt his cheeks heat from the reminder that they would soon be wedded, and even more so by the idea of calling someone of the alpha’s status something so informal. Still, since it was asked of him. 

“I would hope you would do the same for me then, Yuuri,” Victor said. The alpha’s cheeks colored too, but he still smiled and nodded. 

“I will then, Victor,” Yuuri agreed, and Victor smilled. “Shall we see if the kitchen will bring up some tea for us, as well as some food and water for Makka. She must be starving after such a long journey. What does she usually prefer?”

Victor’s heart swelled once more. Perhaps he could be happy here, even if Yuuri would not love him as he had longed and hoped for in a mate, they could be friends at least. 

* * *

  
  


They were seated in the library on their third week of courting, little over two weeks to their wedding. Much was set in order about the affair, and Yuuri had shown great care in including Victor in it all. He had not expected it, to be allowed into making choices and weighing options, for the alpha to look to him and ask him to decide. He had hardly been allowed to decide anything in his life. A part of him wondered if that was one of the reasons why he accepted the engagement, because Yuuri asked, and expected nothing in return. That the choice had been his, even if he did not have much choice at all. 

Yuuri was on the couch next to the fire with a book in his lap. There had been continuous late summer thunderstorms for a week, and today was no different. The air felt heavy and humid, and it felt as though the sky was holding its breath, and soon it would rumble and rain would pour. Victor had just finished his correspondence, a neat pile of letters to his family and few friends arranged in a pile on the desk. He should take it out to the footman to have her have it brought with the post, but it was too much of a feat to look away from Yuuri. Uncle Yakov had left them more and more alone, and they found themselves alone now as well. Victor expected his uncle trusted the alpha enough, as well as saw the coming marriage as another reason for there being no harm in them being given privacy for shorter amounts of time. Victor was grateful for it. It was much easier to be himself around Yuuri, since the alpha seemed to enjoy him to be. Victor knew his uncle cared for him, but his behaviour had always been reprimanded by him. With Yuuri there were no such tendencies. He seemed to simply want to know Victor. Each and every interaction became less stilted and stale, and Victor hoped that even the alpha was feeling more relaxed in his company now then he did a few weeks prior. 

Yuuri’s lashes fanned over his cheeks as he blinked, eyes moving across the pages of the book. It was one Victor had not read before. There were many like that here. The access to books had been limited in his home with his mothers, even if they did have a decent amount for their social class. His uncle and aunt both had private collections he was not allowed to touch, so reading there had been sparse. Victor had gathered they were trying to force him to read books for education rather than pleasure. It seemed it meant Victor read none. 

Yuuri glanced up and their eyes met, and the thrill of nerves, excitement and adoration rushed across Victor’s skin. Yuuri smiled and folded the book together in his lap, his full attention on Victor. He often did this. Victor was used to attention, of complements and lingering gazes, but none had been like this. None had been like this full focus Yuuri bestowed upon him. Yuuri did not seem to look at him with lust or want, but with care and curiosity. 

“Have you finished your letters?” the alpha asked, and Victor nodded, looking down at the pile. Yuuri straightened. “Would you like me to take them down for you?”

He was such a gentleman, truly. Every evening there was a new bouquet of flowers in his chambers, every other day the alpha presented him with a gift. Yuuri spoiled him as if they were madly in love and already wedded, even if it was not the case. Victor shook his head as he stood, walking over towards the couch. 

“No need,” he promised. “I can take them. There is no rush after all. May I sit?” He gestured to the space on the other side of the couch and Yuuri agreed, making room where no more was needed before Victor sat. 

“Anything exciting happening out there with your friends? Is everything set with your family to come for the wedding?” Yuuri asked. 

“Yes it seems to be,” Victor answered, a rush of excitement filling him as he thought of seeing his mother and siblings again. “Mama cannot come, as I have told you, but the others are very much looking forward to it.”

“I am looking forward to meeting them too,” Yuuri said with a smile. “Especially your siblings. You always speak so warmly of them.”

“I hope you will get along,” Victor said, nerves making his stomach turn. “They have grown up in a very different lifestyle then this one.” 

“I am sure it will be a learning experience for all of us,” Yuuri said with a chuckle. “Mari can be quite the handful and she is born and raised in the nobility. I see no reason for class being the only factor in dictating behaviour.” 

Victor humed in agreement and smiled. Lady Mari and her mate Sara Crispino had dined with them many nights since Victor had come to stay at the estate, the mated pair living in a cottage just at the edge of town. Lady Mari had a sharper tongue then any other omega Victor had ever met, and even though their first meeting had been an uncomfortable one, he now enjoyed her company greatly. She had a knack of pulling Yuuri out of his shell in a way only the alpha’s friend Mr. Chulanont seemed to be able to do otherwise. Having Mari in attendance was therefore of great joy to him, as were the fewer but not at all rare visits from Mr. Chulanont. 

Victor’s eyes fell on the now closed book on Yuuri’s lap, trying to tilt his head to be able to see it better. “What are you reading? Is it any good?” he asked. Yuuri looked down at the book, hand caressing absentmindedly over the cover.

“I think it is,” Yuuri said slowly. “I am enjoying reading it and following the story.” 

“Would you read it to me?” Vicor asked before he could think better of it, and Yuuri looked up in surprise with wide eyes once, before he smiled. “Only if there is no trouble for you,” Victor hurried to add.

“None at all,” Yuuri said, opening the book to the first page. “I would love to talk to you about it and hear your opinion. Let me start at page one then, alright?”

“Yes that sounds wonderful,” Victor agreed and sat himself more comfortably against the cushion. Yuuri smiled, and then he cleared his throat, before his lovely voice filled the room as he told the story, Victor hanging off every word.

* * *

  
  


Victor did not mean to overhear the conversation. He was just about to go bid the alphas a good night. He had been struggling with a headache all day, and even though the evening has been pleasant with company from Yuuri’s sister and mate, as well as his friend Mr. Chulanont and the Giacometti family’s unmated omegas and mother. The Giacometti’s were a charming family of four, and their youngest was an omega in the same age as Victor. Christophe had declared them friends from the start. Still, his company did not help the pounding of Victor’s temples, and he broke away from the omega group when they decided to start to sing. He was just to walk into the smaller sitting room to bid his intended and Mr. Chulanont goodnight, when he overheard the conversation being held between them. It was rude and selfish, and yet the words falling from Yuuri’s lips made him pause, and he stopped with his hand slightly raised, stepping closer to the slightly ajar door. 

“I only wish I could have found a better solution for him. He is so lovely, Phichit. He deserves someone better than an alpha over ten years his senior,” Yuuri said with a sigh. “I am sure he had hoped for much better prospects then this arrangement.”

Victor’s heart sank. Here he had been sure that Yuuri was doing this out of pity, out of the goodness of his heart. He never considered Yuuri thinking he was not enough for Victor. 

“I do feel you do not see your own worth my friend,” Mr. Chulanont said seriously. “I am aware you feel we are getting old, but two and thirty is truly no real age, and Mr. Nikiforov seems more than content with this understanding you have.”

“What makes you say that?” Yuuri asked, and Victor’s heart raced. He had seen how Mr. Chulanont observed them, and he was sure he saw more of Victor’s heart then Victor was fully meaning to show. His feeling had been increasingly growing for the alpha he was intended to marry, and with each passing day the affection deepened. 

“I do believe he feels as much for you as you do him,” Mr. Chulanont stated calmly, and Victor’s breath caught in his throat. Could it be that the alpha truly felt something beyond mere friendship? 

“What would he see in me, Phichit?” Yuui asked, and Victor’s heart ached once more. “Someone who hides out in the countryside, like a hermit, hiding and only meeting close friends. I am old, but I feel even older. I do want his life to feel full, for him to be happy. Can I provide it? Can my affection be enough?”

“Many people have survived on little ransoms and love alone,” Mr. Chulanont stated. “You live in great wealth, with possible love within your reach. Do not dwell too much on it, let time guide you towards each other. I am sure it will all fall into place in due time.”

“Do you suggest I reveal my feelings for him, and perhaps we are to live here with me longing for him, and him feeling obligated to do things he does not want for the sake of me?” Yuuri asked. He was more considerate than any other alpha Victor had ever come across. The difference between him and the alpha that had originally brought them to this situation was striking. Victor wished they could have a different beginning, even if he still felt warmth spread through his entire body at the thought of Yuuri having carried him from the dirty road into his house, and taken measures beyond simple decency to make sure Victor was in no danger, and then had given him what others only dreamt of. Whatever Yuuri might believe, he was quite sought after. Many omegas longed to be the alpha’s mate, if not for his temper and kind heart then for his inheritance and status. Victor had heard many omegas lust for his hand, even though Yuuri seemed completely ignorant towards it. Victor was sure many were seething by the idea of him, a son of a middle class alpha, marrying the earl. This situation had never occurred to him to exist. There were clearly many things he still needed to learn about his husband to be.

“I do not think he would be opposed to it Yuuri, I see how he looks at you,” Mr. Chulanont tired. “He may be younger, but I know a smitten omega when I see one. How lucky, that this arrangement might bring happiness to you both, if the feelings between you are mutual.”

“Do not give me false hope my friend,” Yuuri said, but despite the gloom declaration there was a hint of a smile in his tone. “Do not fill my head with fairytales.”

“Very well, I shall drop the subject for now. When I am proven right you are allowed to gift me a bottle of scotch,” Mr. Chulanont teased. The conversation drifted to other matters then, and Victor stayed hidden behind the door for a moment so as not to be suspected of hearing. A plan slowly formed in his mind, and it was an unconventional one. Still, he needed to show Yuuri his affection in some manner. 

He knocked softly on the door and stepped inside, both of the alphas standing as he did. Yuuri’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and Victor could only assume the alphas had continued drinking after the omega’s had left the room. 

“Victor,” Yuuri said, glancing towards the clock. “Is it so late already?”

“Not at all,” Victor hurried to say. “My headache seems to be persistent, and I am going to retire for the evening so see if sleep will come to heal it.”

Yuuri frowned but nodded. “I am sorry to hear it. I hope you get some good rest,” he said. Victor nodded and bid them both good night before heading for the stairs and his room. His mind was swimming with ideas of how he could show Yuuri his affection, and the thoughts lingered until he managed to fall asleep, a half decent plan formed in his mind. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VICTOR WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?  
> Tomorrow: Yuuri is confused.
> 
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	3. Music

Yuuri was perplexed by the bouquet of flowers on his dresser, this being the fifth day he received something he did not understand the meaning of. The first had been a letter in a handwriting Yuuri did not recognize. He had opened it at breakfast, and upon seeing the content blushing scarlet, looking up to see Victor’s wide eyes glued to him. Yuuri had hurriedly excused himself, not at all sure what to do about receiving a love letter from someone he did not know who they were, when he was engaged to another man. Yuuri had read it over twice, before guilt ate at him enough for him to throw it in the fire. When he came down again no one said anything of it, and Yuuri was grateful. 

The next day another letter arrived, which included a poem. He was lucky enough that neither Victor nor Mr. Feltsman had arrived down to breakfast that day yet, otherwise Yuuri would not have known what to do with himself. He hid the letter in his breast pocket as soon as he heard voices approaching, promising to burn it as well as soon as he came up to his chambers. 

The next day a package arrived, and in it layed a scroll of paper rolled up and tied with ribbons. It arrived while Yuuri was in his study, and therefore no one was around to see the shock on his face when he unrolled it to find a drawing of the manor. Yuuri’s heart stopped for a moment. Who was this mystery suitor? And why did they keep sending Yuuri these gifts without proclaiming their identity? 

He had written to Phichit on the first day to tell his friend of it, and even if his friend had found it equally perplexing, he did not think it was harmful. He had guessed it to be someone from the village or perhaps even in town, who were jealous of Victor’s position and were trying to woo Yuuri into breaking off the engagement. Yuuri was not sure of it, but they had to come from someone. The drawing suggested they had been to the manor too, and perhaps even recently. What if they showed up at the manor? What if Victor met them? This would not do, but what could Yuuri do about it to stop his silent courting when he knew not who it came from? 

The fourth day came with a new package, this one containing a drawing of an even more unsettling motive. It was Yuuri himself. It was unmistakably a sketch of his face in close up. Who was this person who could draw Yuuri from memory in such a way? It was a beautiful drawing in the sense of the artist knowing what they were doing, even if the motive was bland. Yuuri felt they had enhanced his better features and dulled his more unbecoming ones, which made him look more handsome than he was. Still, the drawing had a striking resemblance to him, and with no note, Yuuri could have no idea of who it might have come from, other than it being from the same person who had sent the letters and the other drawing. He sighed. It felt wrong as to throw it out, when someone had put so much effort in it, and yet he was uncomfortable. He rolled the drawing up and placed it in a drawer in his desk, along with the other drawing. He could decide what to do with them at a later time. 

And then on the fifth day came the flowers, placed in his private chambers where only a select few had access. There was an array of them, and they were all kinds that Yuuri knew to grow in his gardens. This must mean that the gift giver was someone living in the house, or very close by it. Was it one of the maids? One of the servants? Could it be someone from the village who had someone within the staff to help them? Perhaps he should have a word with Yuuko about it, see if she could help. Still, the whole situation was so perplexing, so strange. Yuuri had never been courted in this manner in his entire life, and now just a week before he was to be wedded. It was beyond strange. Yuuri looked away from the flowers and hurried out of the room to head for the stable. Perhaps a ride would clear his mind. On the way down he bumped into Victor, who smiled that wonderfully pretty smile he so often did when they met, and Yuuri’s heart raced as if he were younger and newly presented, seeing a pretty omega for the first time. 

“Good afternoon Yuuri,” Victor greeted. “Are you heading out?” 

“I am,” Yuuri admitted. “I was to go to the stable. Would you care to join me?” 

“Oh,” Victor said, glancing down to the basket of needlework in his hand. “Perhaps another day? I would very much like to go with you, but I have something I would like to finish before the day is over.”

“Of course,” Yuuri agreed with a nod. “Perhaps on Sunday. I imagine we will both be busy tomorrow getting it all ready.”

“Yes I am sure you are correct, even if I have no experience in planning such an occasion as a ball before,” Victor admitted, down casting his eyes in that way he always seemed to do when there was something he was shameful of - especially surrounding his inexperience in matters he seemed to think that he himself should have. “I am looking forward to it though.”

“I am too,” Yuuri agreed. “It has been far too long since we last danced, I feel.” The words troubled out of his mouth without thinking, and he hurried to snap his jaw shut. Victor seemed embarrassed by his words too, for the omega blushed across the tip of his nose, looking up at Yuuri though long silver lashes. 

“I agree,” Victor said, but Yuuri feared it was mostly out of pleasantry. Still, they would be required to dance tomorrow, and Victor would not be allowed to dance with anyone but Yuuri himself. He hoped he would be able to keep up. He did know how Victor loved to dance. “You are an excellent dancer Yuuri. It will be most fun to share a dance once more, perhaps even several.”

It was Yuuri’s turn to blush brighter, feeling his face heat up that was in no way delicate or becoming. “Yes, I would enjoy that very much,” he agreed, and Victor beamed in response. Yuuri’s heart flipped in his chest. He was the most lovely being Yuuri had come across, and he felt horrible every day for being thankful that life had led them on this path, and to being able to spend more time with Victor.

“It is settled then,” Victor said, taking a step back towards the sitting room. “I shall not keep you any longer. I hope you enjoy your ride. I shall see you at supper?”

“Certainly,” Yuuri agreed. “It will only be us and Mr and Mrs Feltsman.” 

“A quiet night then, to prepare us for tomorrow,” Victor said and Yuuri smiled and nodded before they bid their goodbyes and parted. 

Lilia Feltsman had come the day before, to attend the dance and then to stay for the wedding. The house was going to be full by the end of the week, guests from all over the country coming to celebrate with them. It was good they would be able to spend some time with them beforehand, especially Victor’s family, since they were bound to go from the wedding breakfast to travel to the estate in the south for their honeymoon. Yuuri was not sure if he was dreading it or looking forward to it. 

On one had spending alone time with Victor was something he was craving, and with a smaller staff and no chaperones, they had to entertain each other. On the other hand he worried Victor might be uncomfortable and thought Yuuri was planning on forcing himself on the omega. He had heard of other alphas taking their right during the wedding night, and Yuuri wanted Victor to know that he had no such plans. He could not say such a thing to Victor however, for he did not want to take such crude words into his mouth in front of an omega, even as he had implied it when he proposed. Yuuri shuddered. No, such conversations would have to wait. He would not let his own heart run away with him. As much as his feelings had continued to grow to deep affection for the omega, this was an arrangement, and Yuuri was adamant to keep being a gentleman.

The next day came with neither gifts nor letters, which Yuuri was most grateful for. He was busy all day, making sure everything was in order and prepared for the evening. It was not that he did not trust his staff, Yuuko was an excellent house maid, and he was sure she had a grip on things. Still, he wanted to make sure it was all as intended, for Victor certainly deserved everything to be perfect. After their brief conversation on the matter yesterday, Yuuri had made sure to ask Victor for his opinions on all matters he could, for he wanted the omega to feel valued, and since Yuuri valued his opinion, it worked out well. The omega had beamed and with much enthusiasm engaged in the last minute planning and arranging for the ball, and Yuuri simply stood by his side as support, watching the omega blossom. He was truly magnificent. 

They parted after the afternoon tea. Yuuri cooped up in his room to read for a while before washing, calling on his valet Minami to help him into his clothes. Minami was an energetic man, and in the beginning Yuuri had found it hard to know what to make of him, but with time and exposure he had gotten used to it all. Minami was most loyal, kind and hard working. All qualities Yuuri found excellent in his staff. 

“You look sharp sir,” Minami said once Yuuri was ready, smiling towards him before he turned to tidy up the small array of things that had been scattered in the process of getting Yuuri ready. 

“Thank you Minami,” Yuuri said, adjusting his cravat just a little to make it sit better. “I hope you all will be able to dance some down in the servants halls to the music. The musicians are known to be excellent.” 

“I am sure we will manage a few, even if tending to all of you will be our priority. Yuuko will see to it sir,” Minami smiled again, and then he looked away, only to glance back over at Yuuri once more as if wanting to say more. 

“Spit it out, Minami, before I have to go greet guests,” Yuuri said with a warm tone. The valet sputtered, but found his footing quick as he saw Yuuri’s teasing grin. 

“I was just- I know it is not my place, but since I am aware of how you worry for us and care for us in the staff my lord, I would like to say how we all find Mr. Nikiforov to be a charming omega,” the valet said, eyes warm before they darted away from Yuuri once more. “I just thought you might like to know my lord.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Yuuri said, feeling warmth bloom in his entire body. He had no doubts Victor was kind to the staff, but it was always nice to get reassurance. “I feel he will be a good addition to my life.”

“Agreed sir,” Minami said. “Now, is there anything more you want from me right now?”

Yuuri considered for a moment asking him about the flowers, how they might have gotten into Yuuri’s room or if Minami knew of anyone who might be sending Yuuri these things. He quickly decided against it. He did not want to burden his valet with such things. 

“I do not,” Yuuri said instead. “Thank you.”

* * *

Yuuri had thus far had a jolly time, and even though he had given Victor countless opportunities to leave his side if Victor so pleased, the omega stayed beside him. Their arms stayed linked as they made conversation with the guests, if they were not on the dance floor. Victor was just as excellent a dancer as Yuuri recalled, and they danced set after set together, the omega’s eyes sparkling and praise falling from his lips. Yuuri tried to return the favour, remarking on Victor’s good footwork and graceful form. He was a true joy to dance with, just as he was conversationalist. 

People having not met Victor before were clearly charmed by him, and those who had made an acquaintance prior to this made easy conversation with him, Victor remembering their names and titles as well as what their conversation had been about easily. Yuuri had noticed that Victor held much insecurity about his inheritage in settings such as these, where many from the nobility were present, but there was no need. He lacked neither in takt nor etiquette, and Yuuri found himself - a previous bachelor horrendous at small talk, much more relaxed by his side. 

They had just come off the dancefloor after another set, Victor’s cheeks rosy with exertion and eyes shining with joy. Yuuri hoped he would often be able to bring such an expression to his face, even after they had been wedded. Victor’s arm was hooked in his, and Yuuri led them off the floor towards a server for refreshments, when Victor suddenly stopped, scent growing sour with uneasiness. It made something turn in Yuuri’s stomach, and he looked at the omega with wide eyes, looking him over to see what could be the matter as worry rose in his chest. Victor looked alright, except for his complexion going slightly pale. His eyes were trained on something in the crowd, his lips pressed into a line. 

“Victor, darling,” Yuuri called, the endearment falling so easily from his lips without thought. Victor did not react, and Yuuri spoke again, alarm filling his body as the omega continued to stare, scent tinted with fear. “Victor, what is the matter.”

Victor said nothing again, and Yuuri turned away from him to follow his gaze instead, instantly realising the reason for his distress. Rage unknown to Yuuri prior to his moment flared up in his body as he saw the man who had hurt Victor, the man Yuuri had come to love, in such a vicious manner. Mr. Cao Bin was just a few meters away, making conversations with some guests who Yuuri knew to be acquaintances to both him and the Bin family. What audacity, to come here to celebrate their engagement, without being invited, after wounding Victor so.

Everything happened in quick succession after that. Yuuri’s arm slipped from Victor’s, and as much as he hated leaving his omega in distress, there was a threat to be dealt with. He was not sure if Victor reacted, he was faintly aware of him saying something, but perhaps it was his imagination. All he knew was that he very hastily, and with rage pulsating in his veins, made quick way towards the alpha in question. Mr. Cao Bin did not see him until Yuuri had reached him, and perhaps it was Yuuri's enraged scent that caught him first. He looked up at him, nostrils flaring, just as Yuuri’s hand wrapped around his bicep tightly and tugged. 

Yuuri was very fortunate that the alpha was standing close to the front door, and in almost no time at all had Yuuri hauled him out of it, Mr. Cao Bin seeming to understand what was happening only when they were out on the gravel in front of the house. Only then did Yuuri let go, pushing the other alpha away from him. 

“Lord Katsuki”, he gasped, trying to correct his clothing as they stood a few meters apart. Yuuri stood sure and confident, even as his heart raced in his chest from anger, and his scent surely still filled with rage. “What on earth are you doing?”

“I could ask the same of you,” Yuuri spat. “You are not welcome here. Not tonight, and not ever. I would ask you to please leave right away.”

“How come?” the other alpha challenged, and Yuuri could see it in the sneer of his smirk, the gleam in his eyes. “Have I done something to offend you, Lord Katsuki?”

“You have done a great many things to offend a great deal of people, Mr. Cao Bin,” Yuuri said as he clenched his jaw. “But since you are a scoundrel, a dishonest and evil man I shall not list your sins in full. It would be a pity for a party of such a joyous occasion to be tainted by the likes of your wrong doings.” 

“I see no fault in what I did,” the alpha said, and Yuuri’s blood was all but boiling at this point. Still he took a deep breath. Losing his temper more than he already had would only lead to a scuffle, and that was certainly not something he intended to take part in tonight. “I merely-”

“I advise you not to finish that sentence,” Yuuri said coolly. “I have said my piece. You are not to come near this estate again unless you are invited, which you have not been tonight, and you will have no benefit in waiting for another for it shall not come. You are not to come anywhere near my intended for the rest of the time you spend on this earth, or I shall challenge you to a duel and we can see to that I add to your list of humiliations.” Mr. Cao Bin did pale at that, and it was Yuuri’s time to smirk now. They both clearly remembered the one time Mr. Cao Bin had challenged him to fencing before, and Yuuri had gone out victorious from each set, even as Mr. Cao Bin continued to ask for another rematch. At the end of it had not been a match at all, and Yuuri had relented, telling the alpha that another match was pointless. Harsh in a way he usually was not, but in the light of who he was addressing, he did not fret over it afterwards. “I shall tell the butler to make sure your carriage is fetched. He will also make sure you do not enter the house. Good night, Mr. Cao Bin.” 

With that he turned, and without acknowledging the crowd of people who had gathered outside, he strided back into the manor with his heart racing. Victor was standing just in the middle of it all, and as soon as Yuuri offered his arm Victor took it, his scent filled with adoration and calm, and a hint of something Yuuri would not let himself acknowledge. His trusted butler Morooka was just inside, and Yuuri only needed to give him a look before the man nodded in agreement, calling a footman to him to make sure Yuuri’s request would be fulfilled. As they walked back into the ballroom the music started up again, and from the corner of his eye Yuuri could see Phichit urge the musicians to start the music up once more. He then took Mr. Christophe Giacometti's hand in his, to lead him to the dance floor, making the atmosphere less heavy in a moment. Yuuri was most grateful for his friend's quick thinking.

Victor’s grip on Yuuri's arm was tight, and Yuuri turned to him, meeting the omega’s eyes, a storm rushing in the blue of them. “Do you need a moment?” Yuuri asked quietly as more pairs joined Mr. Chulanont and Giacometti on the dance floor. Victor’s grip tightened further. 

“Please,” he said, and Yuuri wasted no time in taking them to the library, knowing it would surely be unoccupied. The door opened easily and they both slipped inside the dimly lit space, the door falling shut heavily behind them. For a moment they simply stood, and suddenly nerves were rolling in Yuuri’s stomach. He had never acted in such a manner before. His parents had raised him to be a good tempered alpha with control of his scent and pheromones. He had hardly grasped what had happened until he was out of the house and the cool air had shocked his senses back slightly, making him calm enough to keep his cool. Who knows what could have transpired if he had not. 

“I am sorry,” Yuuri started. “I have never acted in such a manner before I assure you. I- I noticed how upset you where and then I saw him and I-”

Yuuri was caught off as Victor stepped forward and went up on his toes, wrapping his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders. Yuuri was overwhelmed by the scent of him, the evergreen and roses, as well as the warmth of his body pressed to Yuuri’s own. Yuuri could not stop himself from reaching around the omega and pulled him closer, basking in everything Victor. Yuuri’s heart was beating more violently than it ever had in his life, and he could not stop himself from taking a deep breath of the omega’s scent, laced with trust and… Yuuri would not deny it now, his nose so sensitive to the scent of lust. He gasped, and pulled back slightly, looking into Victor’s open expression. 

“Thank you, Yuuri.” 

* * *

The remainder of the night passed without much incident, even if Yuuri saw how gossip was already spreading among the guests. At another time it would have made him anxious, but to know Victor was feeling cared for was Yuuri’s main priority since he had proposed the engagement, and that was still true now. His heart was still pounding a little harder then usual when he came up to his chambers, his mind still lingering on the feeling of the omega in his arms. It was only after the valet left that Yuuri noticed the small box on his dresser, a card with the same handwriting as the unsigned letters sitting next to it. Yuuri’s stomach plummeted, and he hurried to open the letter first. 

_ Dearest Yuuri _

_ I hope you will enjoy this gift, since I have made it especially with you in mind. I should be glad to see you wear it.  _

_ Love. _

This was insane, truly. Yuuri had a good mind of throwing the gift out right away, but something refrained him. Instead he opened the package carefully, only to find a blue handkerchief in it, his own initials embroidered into two of the corners. Yuuri picked it up carefully, and as he did, the scent lingering from its maker reached his nose. The uneasiness he had been feeling rushed off of him, and was instead followed but a deep warmth. Yuuri pressed it to his nose, the scent of evergreen and roses and Victor filling his senses. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor Yuuri thinking someone was stalking him and it was his fiancé trying to be sweet. fools the both of them!
> 
> Tomorrow: VICTOR'S SIBLINGS! WEDDING!
> 
> Want to read the whole story now? Check out this [twitter post](https://twitter.com/mjaoue/status/1217362304045649920?s=20)
> 
> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


	4. Marriage of Convenience

Victor’s family arrived just a few days before the wedding, bringing with them a sense of mixed warmth and embarrassment one could truly only feel for family, no matter how long they had been parted. Victor was overjoyed to see them, and he embraced his omega mother as well as each and every one of his siblings warmly, despite the sputtering protests falling from his younger, unpresented siblings as he did. They had all changed so much in the four years they had parted, and Victor’s heart ached by the realization that if he had met them on the street he might not have recognized them, and nor they him. Still, they were here now, and Victor wanted to make the most of their time together before they parted again once he and Yuuri left for their honeymoon. 

Victor was not sure what to expect from the wedding night and honeymoon with his husband to be. They would be leaving for the summer estate after the wedding breakfast, and arrive at the manor in the evening. Yuuri has assured him that the staff there would have supper ready as soon after they arrived so he would not go hungry, and that the ladies maid, Guang Hong, that had helped Victor since he came to live with Yuuri, as well as Yuuri’s personal valet Minami would be joining them as well. Victor was grateful. He had grown quite attached to both Guang Hong and Minami, both of them being of tremendous help in Victor’s scheme to get the courting gifts to Yuuri. The alpha had yet to say anything of the gifts, but two days ago he had asked to see what Victor was sketching, blushing a pretty pink as he saw how the motive was of him and Makkachin on the couch in the library. Yuuri had then complemented Victor’s skill in drawing on both this and the previous drawings, acknowledging the fact that he had received them and knew they were from Victor. Had Lilia not been present, Victor might not have had the decency to hold back from kissing the alpha breathless. This was an increasing want in him. He thought of it during dinner, distracted by Yuuri’s mouth as he ate, or when Yuuri read for him, and when they took strolls through the garden or park. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold back. Victor hoped that the days leading up to the wedding would pass quickly so that he would soon have the pleasure to press his lips to the alpha’s own without indecency. 

Yuuri had also taken to wearing the handkerchief Victor had made for him in his breast pocket, and each and every time Victor saw it his chest swelled with pride and possessiveness. The thought of the alpha wearing something that Victor himself had scented thoroughly, as if carrying a part of Victor with him, just as Victor did with the engagement collar, made something warm settle in his chest. Anyone could see that he was betrothed to Yuuri, and even if a handkerchief was not as significant as the jewelry around his neck, it still felt of great worth to Victor.

Yuuri was wearing it as they greeted Victor’s family together as well, and even though Victor’s siblings were unruly and unrefined to the point of Victor feeling deeply embarrassed by their behavior, Yuuri met them with respect and kindness. Victor should have known, he was a true gentleman after all. 

The house seemed to come alive as the guest rooms became occupied with more and more guests, but while the halls were now filled with conversation and the sitting rooms with music from the piano forte, Yuuri became stiff and quiet. Had Victor not spent so much time with him prior to the change he would probably not have noticed, but since he had watched Yuuri conversing with those he felt comfortable with many nights, it was evident to Victor that Yuuri was now not at ease in his own home. His shoulders were stiff, his jaw tight. Victor had not seen this during the dance and he could not help but wonder what the differences were. Yuuri did not seem nervous, which had been Victor’s first assumption with the wedding approaching. It was rather that he was uncomfortable, weighed down and even more proper than before. Victor missed their time alone together, for now it was impossible to catch the alpha alone, even if it did mean Victor being able to spend more time with his family. 

“What is he like then?” little Mila asked, fourteen with wide eyes still on the dresses Victor had brought out of his closet to show his siblings. ”Is he as kind as he seems?”

“He is wonderful,” Victor admitted, letting his fingers caress over one of the many dresses Yuuri had gifted him as courting gifts. He had never had so many dresses before. He was thoroughly being spoiled. “I feel as though I am living a fairytale.” he turned back to his siblings and smiled. The scene reminded him so much of him growing up, all of them crowded on one bed, sharing secrets and dreams. Mila had only been ten when Victor left, Yuri only eight. Georgi had presented as a beta now, eighteen and working as a teaching assistant for the local school. They had grown tremendously since he had last seen them, but still they were the same. Georgi laid splayed across the foot of his bed, while Yuri and Mila rested against the headboard. The only difference was the location, and the years apart. 

“You always did act like a princess,” Georgi joked, and Victor gasped loudly at the jab, picking up the pillow from his longe by the window to throw at his brother. It landed on his chest, but had no impact other than making all of them giggle. “You seem happy,” Georgi said when the laughter died down, and Victor nodded before he took one last look at the dresses before starting to put them back, careful to place them as neatly as Guang Hong did. He did not want the maid to have unnecessarily acquired work because of him. “I am glad Vitya.”

“I am too,” Victor agreed. “I had never expected it to turn out this way, but yet here we are.”

“Are you in love with him?” Yuri asked, head cocked to the side as he seemed to consider Victor, as if the answer would come if he simply stared. “That is what you are supposed to be right?” Victor’s cheeks heated in embarrassment, even though there was nothing to feel such a way about. Yuuri was not here, and Victor could speak freely. He wondered what the alpha thought of Victor now. Had his affections continued to deepen from what he had disclosed to Phichit when Victor overheard them, or had they cooled? Victor never knew with Yuuri. Most of the time he was kind and sweet, but his charms could simply be politeness, and he had been distant recently. A knot twisted itself in his stomach. 

“I am,” Victor admitted as he continued to hang the dresses, back turned to his siblings. This was the first time he had admitted it out loud to anyone, even himself. “I am very much in love with him.”

“That is wonderful Vitya,” Mila cheered. “Has he declared his love for you? Surely he must have when he proposed! You must tell us everything.”

The knot twisted even tighter in his stomach, and he put on his easiest smile, the one that had fooled the Feltsmans to think he did not miss his family when in fact he cried himself to sleep every night for his first year with them, the one all the alpha’s fell for. He could not tell them the truth, not for the sake of Yuri and Mila, so young and innocent to the world still, and not to himself either. 

Instead he told them how Yuuri had proposed, in which sitting room and how the light had shown in to give him an ethereal look. How he had presented the necklace, and how he had been kind and considerate. He could see all of them look at him with wide eyes with admiration, and Victor felt guilty. None of what he had said was a lie, but it was still a half truth, larger parts left out to be forgotten. Perhaps in due time he would too. 

Seeing Mr. Cao Bin had unsettled him in a way he had not expected, being in the place where he had up until then felt more safe. Yuuri’s behaviour had surprised him tremendously. He had never heard of the cool headed alpha acting in such a manor before. Yuuri had stood up for him, cared for him, protected him. He had been attentive and caring, making sure to keep Victor safe in what was to be his home. If Victor had not been in love before then, he most definitely fell then and there. 

“Do you have your wedding dress here?” Mila asked curiously when Victor ended his story, and Victor shook his head.

“No, it is down with my ladies maid,” Victor explained. “He will make sure it is ready for the wedding day, so I look as good as can.”

“I bet you will be beautiful,” Mila said happily. “We are so glad to be invited to the wedding, Vitya, we truly are.”

“Of course!” Victor said with a smile. “You are my family.” 

A moment passed between them as the words hung in the air. It was not an unpleasant silence, more a warm and safe one, a look shared between them that despite not being a constant in each other’s life, they were happy to be able to be there for each other when they could.

* * *

The night before the wedding Victor was fretting. Yuuri had continued to be tense beyond belief, and Victor had now mamanged to convince himself that it was because of him having second thoughts about this marriage. Perhaps come morning the alpha would be gone, having taken his horse to ride away from it all, leaving Victor with a broken heart and a house that was not his own, full of guests he did not know. He could not sleep, and when he heard the halls grow fully quiet after dinner he crept out of his room in only his night garment and robe, deciding to head for the library. The walk was fairly quick, and Victor only brought a single light to guide him through the dark hallway and down the stairs, before making a beeline straight for his goal. The door creaked open, and he slid inside quietly, only to come face to face with Yuuri.

The alpha looked up at him in shock, eyes wide as they fell to Victor's state of dress. They quickly snapped up to his face again, that lovely blush that Victor had missed terribly coloring his cheeks. He had not realised Yuuri had been without it ever since the house had started filling in earnest, but now it made his heart soar. The fire was lit, and Yuuri was seated on the lounge just next to it, the flickering of the flames casting soft shadows over his face. He was still in his dinner wear, and Victor wondered if perhaps he had not gone up to his own chambers at all. 

“Victor,” the alpha said breathlessly. “I did not expect you to be up.” Victor saw him glance to the watch behind him, squinting to make out the numbers on the clock. “It is very late. Is something the matter?”

Victor was sure his scent betrayed him, showed Yuuri all his nerves and worries, or at least that he had them. Victor shuffled on the floor, and Yuuri made room on the lunge in silent invitation, one Victor took. “You are up too,” he remarked as he made his way over and sat down. “What troubles you enough to be up at this hour, reading in the dark?”

“A great many things,” Yuuri mumbled, looking up at Victor with his dark brown eyes, that burning determination that always made Victor’s stomach flip by the sight of it. “Have you changed your mind? About tomorrow I mean?”

“No!” Victor exclaimed immediately. “Not at all! Have you?”

Yuuri shook his head slowly but his eyes held weight, and Victor decided to trust it, even if he himself were still worried. “Why are you not in bed then?” Yuuri asked softly, and Victor leaned fully back against the backrest, looking over at the alpha with a smile. His heart raced from new nerves, but since Yurui had asked, he had a hard time holding back. 

“You have seemed distant lately,” Victor admitted, gaze falling from Yuuri’s face down to his own fiddling hands. “I have wondered if you have been having second thoughts, or perhaps grown tired of me.” 

“Oh,” Yuuri said in utter shock, and Victor risked glancing up to look at him, meeting the alpha’s wide eyed expression. There was a beat of silence as the moment dragged on, and both of them seemed to hold their breaths, until Yuuri finalty spoke again. “I have not. I am sorry if I have made you feel in such a way I- I have trouble with large crowds such as this. They make me uncomfortable, and this has led me to feel my nerves. I am aware that it is not befitting for an alpha, especially one of my position, to have such troubles, but it seems to be a part of me. I too have wondered if you have changed your mind.” He stopped there, eyes on Victor as he continued, tone calm and even, even if the words were said lower, like a secret. “I shall not hold it against you if you have.”

“I have not,” Victor said firmly with a shake of his head. He could not help but reach out his hand towards Yuuri, offering support in a more physical manner. The alpha looked at his hand for a moment, and then he slid his own into Victor’s. Yuuri’s skin was warm against his, and Victor resisted the urge to squeal and gasp, for it was so incredibly lovely to feel Yuuri’s true touch against his own. Yuuri held up his other hand, and Victor took that as well, letting the alpha guide the movements as their palms slid against each other. Yuuri’s hands moved up his arms, and the gown crumpled at the sleeves as it was pushed up, revealing Victor’s wrists. Yuuri looked him in the eye, and Victor felt as though he was floating away, pinned under Yuuri’s gaze with only it as his anchor. Yuuri seemed to find what he was searching for in Victor’s eyes, for his touches continued up until the alpha had their scent glands just above each other. Victor shivered, longing so for Yuuri’s scent to over take him, and yet the alpha did nothing. They sat there as Victor’s heart pounded, and he wondered what Yuuri was waiting for, until he realised that he had handed the decision over to Victor.

With a slow breath Victor pressed up, and their scent glands pressed into each other in the most intimate manner, claiming without a bite. Yuuri’s scent filled Victor’s senses, and he let out a soft gasp as his eyes fell closed. It felt heavenly, to be connected like this, to have Yuuri’s scent surround him fully, much like it had that night when he had found him. The nerves that had been rushing in his veins calmed, and soon there was only peace in his mind. 

Victor opened his eyes slowly, and as his gaze met Yuuri’s again, he could not help but smile. Yuuri smiled back, and neither said nothing until many minutes had passed, and Victor’s eyelids were growing heavy. Yuuri then escorted him back to his room, and Victor fell asleep with the scent gland on his right wrist pressed to his nose.

* * *

The wedding was a joyous affair. Yuuri looked truly handsome standing by the altar waiting, and even though Victor could hear the whispers from the uninvited guest in the back rows as he passed them, he simply held his head straight and kept his eyes on Yuuri as Yakov escorted him. Yuuri’s eyes were calm, and Victor thought only of the previous night, of Yuuri’s scent mixed with his, and how soon it would be a permanent addition to his own. He was more excited then afraid of it, which every omega teacher he had ever had would scold him for if he told them. Omegas were not to enjoy the marital bed, they were to fear it until they produced an alpha heir and then they could avoid it. 

Victor had no such claims. He longed to touch Yuuri, and to be touched in return. Many fantasies of the two of them had occupied his mind since the engagement had been arranged, and Victor thoroughly longed for Yuuri to have a rut for them to share, or for his own heat to come. He wanted them to grow closer, in physical terms as well as in emotional ones. He wanted to wake up next to Yuuri, to go to bed with Yuuri, for them to share secrets just as Yuuri had the night before of his nerves, and perhaps Victor could speak more freely about his fears as well.

It was images such as these that kept his mind occupied as they proceeded through the ceremony, as well as the breakfast and congratulations. The wedding collar was lighter than the engagement one, but just as decorated, and the wedding band on Yuuri’s finger matched it, making Victor feel partly claimed even before the mark where to be placed on his neck - something that he would have to wait until they reached the summer house and their marital bed to experience. Yuuri was a constant presence at his side at all times, and even in the carriage to the summer estate they conversed pleasantly, the stiffness that had surrounded them in the last couple of days completely gone, exchanged but that softness and focus Victor had come to associate with Yuuri. 

As the alpha had promised, the estate was in pristine condition when they arrived, and the staff started working on finishing their supper as Yuuri gave Victor a tour of the manor. It was smaller than the one they had just left, but still much bigger than the Feltsman residence. There was a library here too, and two sitting rooms, a parlor as well as a breakfast room and dining room, alongside a large hall that could be turned into a ballroom. The upper floor held a personal sitting room as well as several guest bedrooms, and of course one bedroom for them each, adjacent. Victor shivered. Soon they would step into one together, the one Yuuri announced as Victor’s, and afterwards nothing would truly be the same. 

Supper was delicious after such a long trip, and they both agreed that the cook had done wonders with all courses. The butler promised to convey it, and Victor wondered how long it would take before he learned all of the staff names here, when it had taken him a good two weeks to manage at the main estate. Hopefully they would not think him too daft if it took him a moment. Names had never been his strong suit. 

Tea was taken in one of the sitting rooms, but with each passing moment the tension seemed to grow thicker, Victor trembling with anticipation. Yuuri’s scent surrounded him, even though they sat properly apart, and he could not help but let his mind wander to the events that would soon transpire between them. It was him who proclaimed himself ready for bed when it seemed Yuuri lingered, too excited to hold back. Yuuri must think him overly eager and improper, but Victor could not seem to care at the moment. Yuuri rose and offered his arm, and together they walked with arms linked in silence up the stairs, until they reached the bedrooms. 

Yuuri took a step closer, his hands so easily landing on Victor’s waist. He smelled like smooth vanilla and smoky sandalwood, and Victor took a deep breath of it, the alpha’s adoration and arousal evident in his scent. Victor trembled, and his eyes fell closed as Yuuri closed the space between them. 

“Good night, Victor,” Yuuri said, and Victor was just about to ask what Yuuri meant by that when Yuuri’s lips pressed against his cheek. They were dry but warm, and the touch sent heat rushing through Victor’s body. His hands had come up to land on the alphas chest, and his fingers curled slowly, wanting to grab on and hold Yuuri close, press him more firmly into him. 

Before he managed to get a good grip Yuuri stepped back from him, the warmth of his body disappearing. Victor wanted to chase it, and he opened his eyes in surprise, seeing Yuuri had taken another step away. “I hope you get some good rest,” the alpha said, and then he turned, leaving Victor alone in the hallway, with wide eyes and a heart pounding. Had Yuuri not planned to take him? To make Victor his mate truly. He watched the other man walk into his rooms and shut the door, and the sound of it shattered Victor’s heart. Oh. Yuuri must not want him then. Victor must have misread the signs, seen meaning where there was only kindness and perhaps pity. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he quickly turned to his bedroom door, hurrying inside. 

It was a hassle getting out of the travel dress, but Victor could not stand to call on Guang Hong and have the maid see him in this state, tears rushing down his cheeks as he trembled. How foolish he had been to think of fairytales when he could have nothing of the sort, to think of love required where he only longed for it to bloom. Yuuri did not want him. 

He left the dress in a tangled and ripped mess on the floor, crawling under the covers of an unfamiliar bed as the sobs continued to rip through his body. He did not find rest until the sun was rising in the sky, and he had finally, finally tired himself out. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Victor, all alone and heartbroken...  
> Tomorrow: how will Victor handle life as a newlywed with a husband that keeps flaking out on him?
> 
> Want to read the full story now? Check out this [twitter post](https://twitter.com/mjaoue/status/1217362304045649920?s=20)
> 
> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


	5. Etiquette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the pain in the last chapter<3, hopefully this will make you all feel better.

Victor was in agony as he woke, and it did not let up even as several days passed. Yuuri treated him with utmost kindness, tender and sweet in every exchange and meeting. In the evenings Victor was sure he could see heat rise in Yuuri’s gaze, and arousal seep into his scent, only for the alpha to leave him in the hallway as they reached the bedrooms for the night. Victor could not make sense of it. The first week, Victor was sure that Yuuri harboured no romantic feelings for him, that the alpha kept away for he truly did not want to share a bed with Victor. It hurt more than Victor thought it would, him having lulled himself into the fantasy of their marriage being a happy one, filled with love and lust and romance. Many would have called him young and foolish, and perhaps he was, to think that stories that only happened in novels would happen to him in real life. 

A week after the wedding Yuuri had barely touched him, except for the fleeting caress of a stray lock of hair that had fallen out of its confinement, or to touch his arm for his attention. Yuuri bought him a horse and started teaching him to ride, and Victor adored it as soon as he had gotten over his fear of being on the horse's back. As long as the weather allowed they took a daily ride, often in the morning, a stroll in the afternoon. Victor drew and answered correspondence in the time between, Yuuri reading or answering letters of his own. It was pleasant but stilted, and Victor wondered if this was how their lives would continue on forever. He felt a stab of embarrassment and pain as he thought of returning to society without a mating mark on his neck. The marital collar would cover the lack of any surely, but those close to him would smell in his scent of him being unmated. 

During the second week of their marriage Victor needed to do something, try to see if he could manage a change. Yuuri had been opening up, and Victor had been following each reaction, each word and syllable. Yuuri praised him often, flushed deeply when Victor complimented him in return, and his scent was often one of the most adoring nature, lovely and addicting. Victor needed to test the theory of Yuuri perhaps feeling as he did, but holding back for a reason unknown to Victor. Thus, he decided to try to seduce him.

The first step was easy. One of the dresses Yuuri had brought him was very in fashion, white and lovely. It was almost entirely see-through. With the proper undergarments it did not come off as such, but Victor was not planning to be proper. Guang Hong had grinned wickedly as he sent Victor off to dinner, and Yuuri had seemed torn between wanting to hide Victor from the eyes of the footman serving them and stare at the omega with wide eyes himself. Victor pretended as if nothing was amiss, even as Yuuri’s scent was strong with arousal, Victor’s own coming up to match. Still, Yuuri left him at the end of the night with a lingering kiss to his cheek, leaving Victor leaking and hard from being succumbed to Yuuri’s heavenly scent all evening. He touched himself several times that night, pretending it was Yuuri, hoping the alpha did the same. 

The next day none of them spoke of it as they went through their routine, even if Yuuri’s touches were more lingering, his glances equally so. Victor wanted to break his resolve, so he wore the same dress the following evening, only this time sprayed with water, making it even more transparent. He could see Yuuri clench his jaw as he took deep breaths, but still continued as if nothing about Victor’s wardrobe was eye-catching. Yet again was Victor left to his hand that night, and even as their charade continued through the week, of Victor doing everything he could to draw the alpha to his bed - moaning as he ate, not wearing his collars to display his unbitten neck, continuing to wear garments barely covering anything at all, Yuuri stayed firm. 

It was just at the start of their third week as married, when Victor had finally, thoroughly had enough. He excused himself right after dinner, leaving the alpha to vie for his own during his coffee. Victor stepped into his bedroom, and with the help of Guang Hong undressed, and got ready for bed. As soon as the maid left however, he stepped over to the door connected to Yuuri’s and stepped in. It was warm from the fire lit, and Victor lit a few candles in his wake as well, so to make sure Yuuri could see him as he arrived. He had changed out of his chamice, and he stepped over to Yuuri’s wardrobe, pulling out one of his dinner tailcoats. He easily slipped it on, the rest of him revealed to the world. He laid down on the bed in anticipation, thinking of how magnificent Yuuri had smelled during dinner. It took no time at all for arousal to start coursing through his veins, and he pressed his nose to the lapel of Yuuri’s jacked, breathing deeply. It smelled divine, and Victor could not stop his hands from wandering across his skin. He ran the fabric of the jacket sleeves against his nipples, gasping at the sensation of the friction, head tipping back slightly. He rounded them over and over, growing fully hard and wet at the stimulation. 

It was in this manner Yuuri found him, eyes growing wide and nostrils flaring as he took Victor in, sprawled across his bed, aroused and trembling, aching to be touched. Victor looked at him, stilling his movements completely as he looked at his husband, who hurriedly closed and locked the door. Yuuri seemed to stop then, leaning his back against the door as his eyes fell on Victor once more, taking in the sight fully, before walking up to the bed. Victor pushed himself up on his elbows to look at the alpha as he approached, trying to take in his mood as his heart hammered in his chest. He hoped he had made the right decision.

Yuuri’s eyes were dark, and as he came closer Victor could almost taste his arousal in the air, it coated so thick in the room. It felt heavenly, and Victor did not try to stop the whine that pushed out of his chest, letting his legs fall slightly open.

“Victor,” Yuuri breathed as he reached the bed, one hand curling around one of the posters as he looked at him, eyes dark. “What is this?”

“I have been terribly lonely,” Victor said, tipping his head back to reveal his unmarked neck. He saw how Yuuri’s gaze followed the movement, and he smirked, leaning his head back forwards so he could look at him fully again. “I have been longing for you for weeks Yuuri.” 

“You have?” Yuuri asked, his grip around the pole tightening. Victor nodded, rolling his hips down into the mattress. The scent of slick was evident in the air, and Victor saw how it affected Yuuri, fueling his lust as Yuuri’s did Victor’s. There was a bulge in Yuuri’s trousers, and Victor longed to see it uncovered, to touch it, taste it, to have it fill him fully. Yuuri’s eyes were dark, and Victor wanted him  _ now _ . “Have you longed for me to touch you Victor? To have you? Is that why you have been teasing me all week? To draw me in?”

“You should have me,” Victor said, biting his lip. He let his hand come to land on his stomach, and then slowly move down. “It is your duty as a husband after all, is it not?”

“Is this what you desire?” Yuuri asked, his eyes following Victor’s hand, as his own moved to the buttons of his jacket, opening them so he could slide the tailcoat off. “Do you want me to bed you, Victor?”

“I desire many things from you but this is simply etiquette is it not?” Victor asked, neglecting his hard and flushed cock to continue to move his hand down towards where he was wet and longing to be filled. 

“I suppose you are right,” Yuuri agreed, his waistcoat joining the first garment on the floor. “It was not what I asked though. I have been holding back from you, from my desires, in the fear you would not want me. I do not want to force myself on you darling,” Yuuri answered, voice laced with warmth, hands coming to work on his shirt. Victor whined as he watched the alpha undress, his fingers coming to circle his hole. Yuuri was so alluring, even dressed. Like this, only in his shirtsleeves, Victor could hardly hold back. Yuuri’s eyes kept flicking from Victor’s fingers to his eyes, and Victor felt adored here, under Yuuri’s misguided kindness of holding back that was soon to be completely shattered, under his adoring gaze and lust filled scent.

“Yuuri, I want you more than I could possibly say,” Victor admitted, pushing one finger into himself as he moaned, a similar sound falling from the alpha’s lips. “I touch myself every night thinking of you. I would love to feel the touch of you, rather than my own.”

“Have I neglected you so, my dear husband, that you have been disappointed in me?” Yuuri asked, his hands having come to undo his pants. Victor watched with rapt attention as they fell down, moaning deeply as he moved the finger inside him in and out. Yuuri finally removed his shirt, and Victor gasped, a fresh gush of slick covering his fingers. Yuuri’s cock was both long and thick, and Victor knew it would fill him to the brim, much more than he had ever been before.    
“Come make it up to me,” Victor asked in a breath, and Yuuri kicked the remainder of his clothing off before he crawled between Victor’s spread legs. His hands started caressing from his feet up, touches light and adoring, teasing and maddening. Victor gasped and bucked, pressing a second finger into himself. He was thoroughly wet now, leaking onto his own fingers and the bedding. Yuuri watched him, and then as his hand reached his knees they stopped. “Yuuri,” Victor gasped, longing for more, wanting him to continue and come take him.

“I shall do my best,” the alpha agreed, his lips a scorching hot imprint on the inside of his thigh. “You smell heavenly, it has been driving me mad.” 

“I have too been driven mad with lust Yuuri, so cruel as to leave me in such a state,” Victor pushed out between gasps, continuing to stretch and prepare. He had once found a scandalous novel hidden in Lilia’s library, and he had hurriedly read it, taking special note to how to best prepare for this moment. The knowledge in it had also come much in handy during his heats, and Victor knew exactly how to touch to caress his body into readiness. 

“Tell me what more you desire of me,” Yuuri said, leaning down to leave kisses up Victor’s trembling thighs, licking when he came to the part covered in slick. He hummed, as if content with the flavour, and it all but drove Victor mad with want. “Tell me it all and you shall have it.”

“What do you mean?” Victor asked, the heaviness of Yuuri’s words rushing through his mind. He hoped he truly did, but he wanted confirmation of Yuuri’s affection before daring to give his own. His fingers were still moving in and out of him, but when Yuuri came close enough for Victor to think he would perhaps take over, Yuuri moved away to start again by his knee on his other leg. Victor whined impatiently, and pushed a third finger into himself with a gasp.

“Beautiful,” Yuuri praised as he kissed up Victor’s leg, sucking ever so slightly on the skin this time. The action along with the compliment had Victor’s head spinning. He wanted Yuuri so terribly, and was so happy it seemed Yuuri had wanted him too. “You have me completely enchanted my love. I have longed to touch you, to kiss you, to have you fully, to open my heart and bare all my love, but I did not want to make you uncomfortable, so I plead - ask what you will of me and I shall give it to you.” Yuuri kissed until he reached Victor’s groin, stopping then to crawl up Victor’s body as he spoke, leaning over his head as he finished. His hand wrapped around Victor’s neglected cock, and Victor gasped and bucked. Yuuri humed in contentment again, his gaze piercing as he watched Victor’s every reaction. Yuuri’s hand moved slowly, thumb caressing over the sensitive head, smearing the precome, before moving down again. Victor had never known the touch of another before, and it was a fully new sensation, pleasure in a way he had not felt before. 

“What do you want Victor?” Yuurin inquired again, as he continued to stroke, Victor’s own fingers still moving in and out of his hole. Victor stilled his fingers, his heart so full of love and joy. Everything he had dreaded seemed to melt away, and he reached up with his free hand to cup the alpha’s cheek, Yuuri immediately turning to kiss his palm, hand still moving slowly over Victor’s cock.

“Make love to me now, and claim me as yours, and then tomorrow tell me of your feelings,” Victor asked, and Yuuri smiled so prettily, kissing the heel of his hand before leaning down.

“As you wish love.” 

The first swipe of Yuuri’s lips against his own was light and sweet, only a teasing caress. Yuuri pulled back to look into Victor’s eyes, only to press in again, this time sweet and lingering. He kissed Victor’s upper lip next, then his lower, and then Yuuri tilted his head, hand still giving him pleasure as he finally kissed him thoroughly. It felt heavenly, Yuuri’s soft lips pressed against his own, opening to lick inot Victor’s mouth wetly, moaning as their tongues slid against each other. Victor responded in kind, and soon he had to start moving his hand again, the sensations of Yuuri too much to hold back. He moaned, and Yuuri smiled into the kiss, pulling away so they could lock eyes.

“May I touch you insead?” Yuuri asked, and Victor nodded, pulling his hands from his hole with a whine. Yuuri kissed him again, before taking Victor’s hand covered in slick to his mouth to lick it all off. Victor moaned at the sight, feeling another rush of blood fill his cock as it twitched in Yuuri’s hand. Together they worked the tailcoat off Victor’s body, Yuuri throwing it on the floor. Soon after Yuuri’s lips were on Victor’s again, his fingers circled Victor’s hole before pushing in. Victor moaned loudly at the two digits filling him, and Yuuri rolled his hips, the alpha's cock grazing against Victor’s stomach, right next to his own.

“Mmh, mmh,” Victor moaned into the kiss as Yuuri curled his fingers, hands having come up to tangle in Yuuri’s hair. It was grounding, being able to press into Yuuri’s lips as his fingers worked inside him, moving in and out, curling until…

“Oh there,” Victor moaned, and he felt Yuuri smile against his lips, curling his fingers right over the spot again. “Yuuri, Yuuri yess,” Victor moaned. “More Yuuri, please, have me please.”

“How I want to,” Yuuri said just before he pulled back. Victor watched with dazed eyes as Yuuri straightened, pulling his fingers from Victor’s hot body, leaving him empty. Yuuri coated his cock with slick, and then he lined himself up. Victor could feel the blunt head of Yuuri’s cock and he took a deep breath to relax, grabbing the bedding as Yuuri finally sank into him fully. It was true bliss to feel so full, and his body opened up perfectly under Yuuri’s length, as if made to take him. “Victor, aaah.”

“Yes, Yuuri so good, mmh, you’re- you’re filling me so well,” Victor moaned, arching his back to get more, to get Yuuri to fully fill him as he had longed for so long. Yuuri moned deep in his throat but pushed on, and soon he was fully seated inside Victor, girth stretching him wide. 

“You’re so tight and perfect,” Yuuri said, leaning down to press his lips to Victor’s, and then to his jaw and then to his neck, fevered and wet. “I love how you feel around me.” 

“Fuck me please,” Victor asked, rolling his hips to make Yuuri move. He needed it, needed Yuuri to take him and fully make him his. His whole body was singing with how wonderful it was the alpha inside him, and still he wanted more. “I need it, I need you.”

“Oh,” Yuuri gasped, moving with sloppy kisses towards Victor’s mouth again. “I need you too. I need all of you.”   
“Have me,” Victor pleaded as Yuuri’s lips reached his, arms curling around the alpha’s back as Yuuri finally started to move. “Yes, Yuuri, take all of me.”

“I will,” Yuuri promised as he rolled his hips into Victor’s wet hole, shifting his hips slightly. One of Yuuri’s hands came down to grab Victor’s knee and pull it up, until it was resting in the crook of the alpha’s elbow. Victor whined from the changed position, the shift making it feel even deeper as Yuuri filled him even more. “No one will doubt how much mine you are after this.”

“Yes,” Victor moaned, and Yuuri started moving his hips at a more even pace, snapping in to make Victor gasp at each one. “Make me yours aaah- all I want is to be yours.” 

“Mine,” Yuuri claimed as he shifted again, and then his cock grazed against Victor’s prostate, the omega arching on a loud moan as he did. Victor looked back up to see Yuuri smiling, and then he snapped his hips in again, lower lip between his teeth as he fucked into Victor in earnest. Victor clawed at his back, certainly leaving marks.  _ Perfect _ , Victor thought, wanting to mark Yuuri in any way he could. Yuuri leaned further into him, leaning down to suck and kiss around Victor’s scent gland. It was teasing the possibility of the bondmark, and in this moment Victor wanted it more than he had ever wanted anything before. Yuuri’s pace was relentless now, and Victor’s moans were high pitched and wailing, sure enough to keep the entire house awake.  _ Let them hear, _ he thought.  _ Let them know how much I want him, how good he takes care of me.  _

The swelling of Yuuri’s knot broke Victor out of his blissful pleasure of Yuuri’s cock moving just right within him, and he moved the fingers he had continued to claw into Yuuri’s back to his hair, pressing Yuuri’s mouth up to his own. “Knot me,” he pleaded, and Yuuri groaned in approval. “Do it love, hnng- fill me up as much as you can.”

“I'll stretch you just as you want,” Yuuri promised, and Victor melted under the words, and Yuuri shifted again to pound even more thoroughly. “Make you all good and full Victor.”

“Yessss,” Victor moaned, and then there were no more words, not until Yuuri’s knot finally sank into him, the alpha guiding Victor’s mouth to his own mating gland. Victor was too dazed, too full and blissed in continued pleasure to give too much thought of it, opening his mouth on instinct to bite down hard. Yuuri gasped as Victor’s teeth broke the skin, and he felt himself be filled with Yuuri’s spend, pumping Victor even fuller. Victor’s jaw’s unlocked, and Yuuri pressed down to open his own mouth, still fucking Victor as he contuiued to fill him. Yuuri’s sharp teeth made a sharp pain rush through Victor’s body, but it was soon exchanged for warm pleasure as they sank further in. Victor came, pleasure more intense then anything he had encountered before as the bond rushed through his mind. 

Yuuri held him, and Victor felt the alpha’s teeth retract, Yuuri licking over the wound as Victor fell into unconsciousness, blissed and happy, the feeling of Yuuri’s love filling his mind. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOOD JOB VICTOR YOU GET YOUR MAN.   
> Tomorrow: it's not easy to keep one's hands to oneself when the damn has broken.
> 
> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


	6. Love Confessions

There was an itch underneath Yuuri’s skin, uncomfortable and irritating. It made him shift and move, trying to find the source, trying to get it to stop. He was barely awake yet, but as consciousness slowly came over him, the familiarity of the feeling settled into his mind. He could feel the need to protect and keep and care for sizzling under his skin, his cock hard and aching for touch between his legs. Yuuri took a deep breath, and a scent more heavenly then any he had ever smelled filled his nose. Parts of it were known to him, familiar yet new, and Yuuri’s mind still felt too hazy to comprehend the meaning of it. All he knew was that it was perfect, and that the scent was what would help the rutting itchiness under his skin. Yuuri pushed himself to wakefulness, and as he did the memories of last night washed over him, just as he opened his eyes and saw who was sprawled across his bed. 

Victor was gorgeous even in his sleep, silver hair scattered across the pillows, pale skin littered with marks from Yuuri’s mouth. His skin was flushed pink all the way down to his chest, and a deep red bite mark decorated his neck. It made Yuuri’s chest swell with pride. It was his mate that smelled so amazing, and Yuuri could not stop himself from leaning down to press his nose to the bitten scent gland on his neck, taking a deep breath. 

The realisation settled easily over his mind, and Yuuri instinctively lapped over the mark, pressing closer to his still sleeping mate. Victor’s body was hot as fire, and Yuuri wanted to quell it, and wanted to tend to him to slow the heat. 

Victor whined and turned to him, pressing as close as possible. The sheets shifted around them, and as Victor pressed himself fully to Yuuri’s side, the alpha could feel his mate’s erection pressing into his hip. Yuuri groaned, hand wrapping around the omega’s hip. Victor’s eyes opened slowly to reveal lust blown pupils and a heated gaze, fixated on Yuuri. A shiver rushed down Yuuri’s spine at the sight of it, and Victor arched, skin becoming even more heated. He smelled divine. Yuuri had never before smelled an omega in heat, only heard of the experience from other alphas or read of it in litterature. It was described as mouthwatering, especially if encountered with an omega one wanted, loved even. It made sense, for Yuuri could not imagine anyone or anything smelling as heavenly as Victor did in this moment, and Yuuri held the highest affection for him. 

“Alpha,” Victor breathed, shivers rushing down his spine. “Touch me please.”

“Ssssh,” Yuuri cooed, instincts of tending and taking care of his mate leading him as he rolled them over, coming to rest between Victor’s legs. He loomed over his love, taking in his flushed state, his panted breaths, his puffed and pouted lips. Yuuri’s mind was hazy, words hard to form with his mind clouded with rut and Victor’s heat pheromones. He wanted to tell him how lovely he was, how lucky he felt that Victor wanted him too, regardless of the circumstances they came together, and still all that came out was: “Mine.”

“Yessss,” Victor answered, as if it was all he wanted to hear, all he needed. His back arching, their cocks grazing against each other from the movement, making them both moan. “Fill me, pleaseee.”

Yuuri leaned down as he nodded, pressing his mouth to Victor’s for his lips were a too great temptation. Yuuri moaned as soon as their mouths met, and he kissed Victor wetly, shuffling to be able to press his fingers to Victor’s hole. He was blissfully wet, thighs and sheets underneath him soaked with slick. Yuuri wants to lap it up, taste all of him, but it would have to wait. His love asked to be filled, and Yuuri wanted to comply, needed to tend to his every desire. 

Two fingers sank into Victor’s hole easily, and they both groaned at the feeling, Victor from the stretch, Yuuri from the heat and wetness. He could hardly wait to sink into him, claim him again and again. Victor’s skin was feverish with sweat, and Yuuri needed to have him. 

“Yuuri, Yuuri,” Victor moaned, rocking his hips down to meet his fingers as Yuuri moved them in and out, spreading them to make sure Victor was fully prepared. When he deemed him ready he shuffled again, slicking up his cock with the slick from his hand before he lined up. He looked Victor in the eye, and then leaned down to claim his lips. The words poured unbidden just before he pushed in, as if he had to say them, had to let Victor know.

“I love you.”

He pushed in then, and Victor melted under him as he filled him, as if Yuuri’s cock was all he needed in this moment to be content, to be happy. Yuuri bottomed out, and the slick heat of Victor was wondrous, just as it had been last night, only heightened by the rightness of being in his mate as he was in rut, to tend to his needs. He could feel Victor starting to move under him, hips rolling as he gasped for more. Yuuri complied, starting to rock in and out of him as they continued to kiss. The bond was a constant loop of need and contentment, of pleasure and want. Victor felt perfectly tight around him, squeezing his cock just right. To think Yuuri just a day ago assumed Victor would never want this, that he would lust and love the omega from a distance for the rest of his life, wishing for this.

Yuuri’s pace picked up, and Victor broke away from his lips, baring his neck in submission for Yuuri. It was beautiful, and far too compelling. Yuuri leaned down to lap at the bondmark, kiss and suck around the sensitive flesh as his hips increased their pace, snapping more firmly into Victor’s body. 

“Alpha, alpha yes, fill me with your come I- I need,” Victor gasped, and it was so lewd, and everything Yuuri wanted. He wanted to fill Victor, to make sure the omega had all of his spend that he wanted and needed, until the heat faded and he was sated. He could feel his knot expanding, and so could his mate. “Knot, I need your knot please.” Victor gasped, and with a few quick thrusts Yuuri plunged it in, locking them together firmly as one. Victor came from the sensation, the clenching of his hole sending Yuuri over as well, filling Victor with even more of his spend. They both trembled as the first heat wave broke, and Yuuri rested carefully on top of his mate as Victor fell asleep, skin less heated but still incredibly warm. Yuuri smiled into the skin of Victor’s forehead where he was softly pressing kisses. They had several days to enjoy each other in this way surely, and Yuuri was looking forward to each and every moment of them.

* * *

  
  


Yuuri lost track of how many times they came, of how many times he filled Victor with his seed. Victor kept asking for it, and Yuuri gave him all he wanted, all he asked for and more. Both of their bodies became littered with marks from nails and mouths, the bites on their necks healing as they spent their mating cycles together. Victor’s slick tasted as heavenly as it smelled, and Yuuri indulged freely in eating his mate out when the heat waves were not as severe. He mapped out Victor’s body, learning all the ways he enjoyed being touched and kissed and pleasured, as well as what he did not enjoy. Yuuri had never had anyone before, and a part of him was glad for this time to explore each other, even as it was done under heavy pheromones. Their instincts and bond guided them safely, and Yuuri could feel the adoration Victor felt for him growing, just as his own feelings deepened. 

They were disturbed only once by a soft knock on the door, and after Yuuri had let out a feral growl, he was unaware he could produce such a sound, they were disturbed no more. Victor seemed to bring out sides of Yuuri he was unaware laid hidden underneath, the need to protect and take care of him stronger than anything he had ever felt before. 

The heat lasted for days, and Yuuri kept them fed and hydrated from the trays left outside of his chambers, sneaking away from the nest as Victor rested. Yuuri was incredibly grateful, and should make sure to thank all of the staff having helped them in their unplanned time of need. Yuuri had done everything he could to tend to his omega, wash him with cloths and brush his hair. Time lost its value, and all Yuuri knew was that the sun had risen and fallen on several occasions before the heat and ruts broke fully. That did not seem to stop them however, and even though Yuuri could detect no traces of heat in Victor’s scent as he rolled Yuuri onto his back and pinned him to the bed, arousal was still evident in both of their pheromones. 

Victor looked breathtaking over him, chest scattered with marks. Yuuri shuffled until he could rest against the headboard, pressing his lips to Victor’s as his hands wrapped posessively around Victor’s hips. There were scattered marks there too, all from Yuuri’s fingers digging into them as he held Victor down into the mattress as he begged for it. Victor breathed heavily against his lips, kisses slow and wet as he stroked Yuuri into full hardness. Yuuri was happy he had been able to keep up with the omega despite his age, his known stamina proving useful in taking care of his mate. Still, after several days of filling Victor with his come he was getting slightly slow on hardening again. Victor did not seem impatient though, moaning around Yuuri’s tongue as he continued to stroke him, a mix of slick and come wetting Yuuri’s thighs. 

“So good to me alpha,” Victor breathed, nipping at Yuuri’s lower lip as Yuuri moaned, the feeling of Victor’s hand wonderful on his length. “Taken such good care of me.”

“Good,” Yuuri breathed. “I want-, I want you to be pleasured.”

“Oh I have,” Victor said with a smirk, sending another shiver down Yuuri’s spine. “Can I have you in me one more time?” the omega asked, swiping his hand over the head of his cock as he came into full hardness. “Please? I do not wish to leave this room yet.”

“Mmh,” Yuuri moaned as he nodded, and Victor smiled against his lips once more, before rising in his knees to settle into place. Yuuri’s cock pressed against his hole, open and wet, and Victor slowly sank down, still so tight and warm around Yuuri’s erection. Victor gasped, breaking away from Yuuri’s lips as his back arched oh so prettily. He was on full display for Yuuri to watch, torso covered in marks, hair falling freely behind his back. His lips were kiss swollen, the mark on his neck healed into a pink scar. He looked like Yuuri’s, and a growl surged up in Yuuri’s throat at the thought of it. No one else would ever see Victor in this way. No one else would ever touch him or give him pleasure in the manner Yuuri did. 

“Beautiful,” he praised, and a soft purr rose from Victor’s chest as he started rolling his hips down into Yuuri’s groin. “Mmh- such a lovely omega for me.”

“For you, just for you,” Victor moaned, as if he could hear Yuuri’s thoughts, as if he knew Yuuri's deepest desires. Perhaps he did from the bond. “I am yours aah just yours.”

“Mine,” Yuuri confirmed, one hand caressing down to wrap around Victor’s hard cock, stoking him as the omega continued to ride him. “All mine and no one else’s.”

“Yesss-,” Victor moaned. “Yuuri, Yuuri, so good.”

“Mmh,” Yuuri moaned in reply, the feeling of Victor’s purr’s wrapping around him like a warm comfort of safety. This lovemaking was just that. It was not frantic like parts of the mating had been, but slower, more adoring. Yuuri’s hand picked up its pace, only so he could see Victor’s mouth fall open, moans becoming louder as his movements became quicker as well. 

“Knot, please Yuuri, your knot,” Victor asked as soon as it started to swell, and Yuuri curled the hand not wrapped around the omega’s cock around his neck to pull him to his lips. “I want it mmh- I- I-”

“I want it too,” Yuuri confirmed, snapping his hips up to meet Victor’s thrusts. The omega called out in pleasure, and soon Yuuri’s knot plunged in, both of them coming from the added sensation. 

Victor fell forward onto his chest, and Yuuir held him as he rested against the headboard, their breaths slowing as they came down from the after orgasmic euphoria. Victor was warm in his embrace, and Yuuri pressed his lips to the omega’s hair, hand caressing up and down his back.

“I did not expect this to happen,” Yuuri admitted once he had calmed and Victor hummed, staying pressed to Yuuri’s chest as he took a deep breath. 

“Which part? Me sneaking into your bedroom to seduce you or the heat and rut?” he asked, and Yuuri chuckled. Finding Victor on his bed felt like an eternity ago, and yet it had been one of the most erotic and memorable moments of Yuuri’s life. He was sure he would remember it for the rest of his life. 

“Both,” Yuuri agreed, feeling the guilt of making Victor feel neglected and unworthy of his affection settle over his chest. “I am sorry, love. I did not- I truly did not think you wanted me.”

“And the scandalous outfits and the continuous attempts to seduce you had no affect on that?” Victor asked, straightening slightly from Yuuri’s grip so they could look at each other. The move made the knot shift, and they both moaned at the sensation, smiling at each other before Victor leaned down to peck at Yuuri’s lips. “I felt I was becoming painfully obvious.” 

“I may have started to fear you had fallen for the footman,” Yuuri admitted, and Victor’s eyes grew wide in shock as he looked at him. “I told you I have trouble with my nerves, that I fear things.”

“Oh goodness,” Victor said, covering his face with his hand adorably as his cheeks flushed. The hand fell away just seconds later, and he looked at Yuuri bashfully, Yuuri unable to hold back from caressing over his cheek down to his bondmark, cupping his hand there. “Trust me it was all for you.”

“I am beyond ecstatic over it,” Yuuri admitted. “I never thought you could feel for me as I do, such an old decrepit alpha as myself.”

“Yuuri you are hardly old,” Victor answered with a roll of his eyes, the gaze turning serious. “Are you serious? Had you not tried to reach out to me if things had not transpired as they did?”

“I had not,” Yuuri admitted truthfully. “I was sure someone younger would suit you better, someone equally full of life with their time ahead of them.”

“What a shame it would have been,” Victor said, leaning down to claim his lips again. “I would have had to work so hard to gain your attention then, to convince you of my interest.” 

This made Yuuri pause, and he pulled away from the kiss with wide eyes, still holding the omega tenderly. “You saw interest in me even before that night?” he asked in shock, and Victor nodded, his scent warm and content. Yuuri’s knot had gone down now, and he was quickly becoming soft inside the omega. Still he did not move, wanted to hear what Victor had to say. 

“I did,” Victor revealed. “We had danced at the Okukawa dance, remember? And were seated next to each other when dining and dancing at the Leroy’s. You were charming and kind, in a way none other are Yuuri. Of course I had an interest in you,” Victor said, leaning forward to press his lips to Yuuri’s once more. He retreated with a smile, pushing Yuuri’s hair away from his forehead. “You are also a terrific dancer. No wonder you caught my eye.”

“I am sorry then,” Yuuri said hurriedly, an irrational fear of this being within his grasp but never becoming true coursing through his veins. “I will have you know that I have never loved another as I love you. You have my whole heart Victor. Please take care of it.”

Victor’s eyes filled with tears that did not spill, and he leaned down to kiss Yuuri’s mouth again, lips trembling as he nodded. “I love you too, Yuuri,” he whispered. “I love all of you.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaw, finally some confessions. Good job boys. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has read, kudos and commented on this fic. I've had a blast with all of the regency stories, this one included, and I'm so happy you have enjoyed this.   
> I hope you like this final part as well. 
> 
> All my love  
> /Lini

Victor smiled as he watched Yuuri move on the dancefloor, movements graceful and smooth. Christophe laughed as they danced, and a few couples away Victor could see his friend’s mate, Mr. Chulanont moving with another omega in his arms, an acquaintance from college’s mate, if Victor remembered correctly from the introductions. Phichit and Christophe had gotten engaged a couple of months after Victor and Yuuri were wedded, and had joined in matrimony just two months prior to this event. 

The Chulanont resident seemed to be bursting with life, many familiar faces that Victor had met and gotten to know over the course of the six months he and Yuuri had been mated in the party. How different life was now from a year ago, when Victor had been on the Marriage Mart, looking for a fitting alpha to lessen his own burden on his uncle, and to make his family proud, like the sacrifice of letting him leave him was worth it. It had not transpired as Victor would have thought it would, but then again - the turn out had been much better than he could have ever hoped for. To be mated into a nobility family as esteemed as Katuski, to have found love in an alpha more attentive then the ones Victor had read of in books, it was truly magical.

Sure, he and Yuuri had their misunderstandings, especially in the beginning of their marriage when they both thought the other held no regards other than friendship towards the other. How wrong they had been. Many things still needed to be communicated, but the bond made it easier to do so, and Victor was so proud of it, even more so when Yuuri came home just a few weeks ago with a new collar. This one was thin, and it showed off Victor’s bond mark perfectly, eyes immediately drawn to it as he wore it. Yuuri had been calm and collected as he presented it to Victor, that possessive gleam that drove Victor mad sparking in his eyes. Victor had only taken it off to go to bed since, having Yuuri put it back on around his neck every morning. 

They stayed at the summer house for another month after the shared heat and rut, before returning to the main estate, being greeted warmly by the staff. It felt wonderful to be back, and a sense of home that Victor had been lacking since he left his family little over four years ago. Yuuri insisted on carrying him from the carriage to their joined bedroom, where Victor built their very first joint nest. There was a second bedroom spared from them too, but they never used it, falling asleep and waking in each other’s arms daily. They had shared another mating cycle there just two months ago, and Yuuri had taken just as good care of him during it as through the first. 

Life was wonderful, and Victor could wish for nothing more than this, except perhaps being able to dance with Yuuri. The Chulanont dances were known to be fast paced, and the hurried music was too much for Victor to stomach at the moment. Perhaps a slower dance would come later in the evening, and Yuuri could lead him around the dancefloor smoothly, held tight in the alpha’s embrace. 

Victor smiled again as he caught a glimpse of his closest friend and mate moving around the floor. He wondered how much longer the set would continue. It felt as forever since Yuuri had left him with a soft lingering kiss on his cheek, promising to be right back. Then again, being apart from Yuuri was always dreadful. Victor knew society rolled their eyes at them, but he did not care. Let them gossip and roll their eyes, as long as Yuuri looked at him lovingly and kissed him sweetly. 

Someone came up to him by his side, and Victor looked over, his heart flipping from shock and worry as he laid eyes on Mr. Cao Bin. Victor had not seen him arrive, and he had not heard Phichit talk of it either. Victor was aware that he could not stay away from the alpha forever, as well as he was aware that Phichit’s alpha mother had business with the Bin family. Yet, he had not considered seeing him here, and he had not anticipated having to meet him again without Yuuri by his side. Worry coursed through his veins, and he instinctively placed a hand over his stomach.

“Mr. Nikiforov,” Mr. Bin greeted, and suddenly the worry and fear ebbed away in favour of anger by the insult. “I see you are doing well.”

“I cannot seem to see any of my siblings here,” Victor answered coldly, looking out over the dancefloor as the couples continued moving. “For surely you could not be referring to me, since you did not use my name or title.” 

“My apologies,” Mr. Cao Bin said, even if his voice held no traces of the meaning of his words. “I simply did not think peasants such as yourself minded such things as titles and whatnot.” 

“Were you not embarrassed enough last time you were thrown out from a gathering such as this?” Victor answered, still not dignifying the alpha with another look. He was still angry, but fear was filling his body once more. He felt out of balance, and he longed to leave, and yet did not want to reveal to the alpha how he had affected him. 

“Were you not embarrassed enough rushing from my home after not even being able to do the only thing the likes of you are good for?” Mr. Cao Bin shot back. Victor wanted to look at him, to glare and hiss like he had that night, but he refrained. He was Lord Katsuki now. This man held no power over him any longer. So instead he did not answer, keeping his eyes firmly forward. A soft caress met his skin just above the collar, across the bondmark, and it started Victor enough to look to the side in horror. 

The touch as gone as soon as Victor turned, and he saw Yuuri’s hand holding Mr. Cao Bin’s wrist tightly, eyes dark with anger. 

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Yuuri asked, voice filled with rage, his scent equally so. Mr. Cao Bin gasped, and Victor could see how Yuuri’s grip tightened for a moment, before pushing the alpha away from him.

“Yuuri,” Victor breathed and his mate turned his entire focus to him, one hand landing over Victor’s own that was resting over his stomach, the other coming up to cup Victor’s neck, just where the other alpha had touched him. 

“Are you alright, love?” he asked, and Victor nodded, pressing coser. “I felt your fear through the bond and…” he looked to the side, and Victor followed his gaze, seeing the other alpha gone. He was mostly relieved by the sight of him being nowhere near them, even if that meant he had walked away without repercussions. 

“I am,” Victor confirmed, still feeling shaken up. “I think I would like to go home though.” He longed to press close to Yuuri fully, to have the alpha scent him and hold him, for the world to melt away in a place they were safe in. 

“Of course,” Yuuri agreed. “Let us just go inform Phichit of what happened? So he can throw his wretched ass out, or for his mother to take it up with his parents.” Victor agreed with a nod, and Yuuri stayed close to him as they made it through the crowd, the dance set having just ended. It was easy to find Phichit, and both the alphas listened with rapt attention as Victor recollected the interaction. Phichit promised that he would take care of it, and after that the Katsuki pair bid their goodbyes before calling for the carriage at the door. Victor curled up to Yuuri’s side as soon as it started moving, and the alpha wasted no time in scenting him thoroughly, wrapping them in comfort and safety. “I am so sorry darling,” Yuuri said with a sigh, and Victor pressed even closer, pressing his nose firmly into Yuuri’s bond market scent gland. “I did not know he was in attendance or I would not have left you alone.”

“It was out of both of our control,” Victor murmured. “I am sorry he keeps spoiling out good evenings.”

“The word is that he took a big hit to his reputation after we wed. Some seemed to think we were already engaged when it happened and that he was making advances on an already claimed omega, not that that should matter,” Yuuri sighed, caressing his lips over Victor’s hair. “Apparently he has been having trouble both with business as well as parents letting him near their unmated omegas. Serves him right for what he did to you, to have his reputation tarnished.”

“I simply hope I do not have to see him again,” Victor sighed. “I am so glad for you Yuuri, I am not sure who I would be if I had not met you.”

“I am glad for you too darling,” Yuuri agreed, and the bond filled with warmth. “You stood up well to him, now as then. I have such a strong mate.” Victor hummed in contentment, basking in Yuuri’s love. They spoke very little for the rest of the way home, content in being in each other’s company. Victor smiled as the manor came into view, and just as Yuuri had said when he proposed, Victor truly did feel at home here. Yuuri helped him out of the carriage, and they made their way upstairs after letting Morroka know they could all go to bed, closing the door to their chambers firmly after they had entered it. 

They helped each other out of their clothes instead of the aid of the servants, and when they were blissfully bare Yuuri lifted Victor up and carried him to their nest. They kissed slow and lovingly, Yuuri’s fingers moving in and out of him as his mouth was wrapped around Victor’s cock, Victor's hands fisted into the sheets. Yuuri pushing into him was always pure bliss, and Victor gasped against Yuuri’s lips as the alpha filled him, each and every thrust bringing him pleasure beyond belief. Victor came first, and Yuuri followed soon after, curling posessively around Victor’s body after the knot had gone down. It felt safe here, and Victor knew that no matter what where to happen, what society thought of him, Yuuri was always on his side, and they would conquer it all together. 

Victor moved Yuuri’s hand down to his stomach, lacing their fingers over the bump that did not exist yet. Victor hoped it would come soon, it would make the nausea a little easier to handle. 

“You are taking such good care of them,” Yuuri whispered, pressing a kiss to the scent gland on Victor’s neck, fingers caressing back and forth over Victor’s stomach between the omega’s fingers. “Thank you for carrying them.”

Victor let out a soft purr, and pressed more firmly back onto Yuuri’s chest, wrapped in love and devotion. “I love you,” he said between the contentment rumbling from his chest. “And I love them.”

“I love you both too,” Yuuri said, leaving another scatter of kisses across Victor’s shoulders. “Sleep now, love.”

“Sweet dreams,” Victor answered, and as he settled even further down into the pillows an answering rumble came from Yuuri’s chest, rocking them both to sleep. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think in the comment section or on other platforms like:  
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/linisen) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mjaoue)


End file.
